The Knights
by Weskron
Summary: In Another Time... Another Place... a group of teenagers cross paths and come together to fight the forces of evil. Follow them as they take on Lovecraftian Horrors, Dastardly Supervillains, and Bloodthirsty Killers as The New Age of Heroism comes about in the form of The Knights. (Takes place in an alternate Marvel Reality loosely based on MC2)
1. Volume 1: Chapter 1: Origins

**The Knights.  
Volume 1.  
Chapter 1.**

_In Another Time… Another Place._

_Every so often, an event takes place. It's a special event, really, where the stars seem to align and the world becomes ready to accept new heroes into this world._

_The original time this seemed to happen was the beginning of The Heroic Age, and the coming of heroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron man, Hulk, Black Widow, Ms. Marvel, and many others like them._

_The Heroic Age has not yet passed, but it has been dying for a while. Heroes have been popping up less and less, while there seems to be no shortage of evil men and women around the world._

_But now? It seems that the world is ready for… something new. A second coming of heroism, perhaps. The New Age._

_And during this time… There lived an extraordinary set of teenagers who happened to cross paths and went on to do extraordinary things._

_This is their story._

~X~

?: We haven't found anyone yet, Sir.

?: Keep looking, man. If we can't find anyone… imagine the faces… Jesus Christ. This is a shit show.

?: Roger that. We'll keep looking.

?: There's gotta be one survivor.

A young man's eyes flutters open as sounds of distant talking hit his ear. He immediately groans in pain, as the thing that seemed to have actually woken him up was the throbbing in his body.

He pushes himself off the ground, shaking his head as he tries to knock off the headache.

Then, he realizes he's not touching a bed. He's touching ground.

Wait…

The man looks around. He is on sidewalk in the middle of a mostly destroyed city-landscape. The buildings are wrecked, some of them are completely gone, while others are just remnants of what they once were. Wreckages of cars are present in the streets with several husks of skeletons riddled throughout. Next to him is a skull of what seems to be a cat.

The air, in particular, is filled with ash and smoke. The sun shines through it, giving this wasteland a very bright feel. It's odd. Everything looks… yellowish. Tan.

But upon further inspection of himself and the world around him… the young man realizes something.

He doesn't remember anything. He can't remember anything. He doesn't know his own name. Where his home is… where's from…

The man stands up, confused and scared as he looks around. He looks about seventeen, with blonde hair and glasses, a t-shirt, and jeans. He looked up to the sky upon hearing a whirring sound, seeing a helicopter fly around his area.

Young Man: Hey… Hey! I'm down here! Please! Help!

And at first, nothing happened, however, the helicopter must have heard him, as it swung around immediately, hovering over him. In a few short moments, several men in police-issued body armor rappel to the ground.

Policeman: Thank God there's one left. Are you hurt?

Young Man: No I'm… I think I'm okay. I'm a bit sore but nothing seems broken.

Policeman: We'll do a scan just in case. Jesus, how did you survive?

The young man had no idea what was going on. He didn't know why he was here or what it was that happened.

Young Man: I don't know. What happened here?

Policeman: Huh?

Young Man: I… I woke up and… and I can't remember anything! My body and head hurts, but I can't remember my name or my family or… or anything.

Policeman: Shit. Guys, I think he might have amnesia. Possibly from head trauma.

The policeman walks over to him and grabs him, holding him tight around the waist.

Policeman: Hold onto me, we're heading into the chopper. Don't worry, everything will get sorted out.

The young man nods and with a tug of the cable, they are wrenched back onto the helicopter where several paramedics were staying. A medical helicopter of some kind. They immediately grab him and set him on the seat nearby, doing some initial tests to see if he's all right.

Policeman: Take us back. I think… I think he might be it.

Who the hell was he?

~X~

In Atlanta, Georgia…

Two policemen barge through the front door of the police station, shoving a teenager in front of them. The teenager has a shaved head and stubble, is about the age of seventeen, and has seriously piercing blue eyes. He's quite tall too. He is wearing a vest with a hood on it and a t-shirt with jeans. He gives the policemen a death stare before walking forward with them to an older woman who is very obviously worried.

Officer: Ms. Eleanor Steele? Are you this boy's mother?

The older woman nods.

Eleanor: I am. I'm so sorry, officers, this won't happen ever again.

The officers both give each other a look.

Officer: I'm sorry, Ma'am, forgive us for being a little suspicious. I think this is the second time this week he's been through here.

Eleanor sighs.

Eleanor: I'm aware.

Officer: Well, all right then, but please try and keep him in line. He could land in Juvie if he keeps this up.

Eleanor: I will, thank you officers.

Officer: Have a good day, Miss. You too, Chase.

Chase doesn't respond, just shakes his head as they go away. The two of them walk outside the station and head inside an SUV.

Eleanor: Chase…

Chase: Yeah?

Eleanor: So, let's review.

Chase groans as the two pull out of the police station.

Eleanor: You stole a car…

Chase: Borrowed.

Eleanor: Rode it down the highway, speeding, may I add.

Chase: Like a mile or two above the speed limit.

Eleanor: Twenty. Then, when the cops started pursuing you, you decided it would be… a good idea… to ride the thing off the road… and into international waters?

Chase: I wanted to see if I could do it.

Eleanor: And?

Chase: I could.

Eleanor: Mmhm.

Eleanor shakes her head.

Eleanor: Chase, this is too much. If it weren't for Bradley, I don't think-

Chase: Your boyfriend? Yeah. I met him. Huge douchebag.

Eleanor: He's a nice man, Chase. He settled this out of court with the person you stole the car from. You could be in jail right now if not for him.

Chase: He'll tell you whatever he want to get in your pants. The guy gave me the damn keys-

Eleanor: Language.

Chase: Uh. Sorry. The guy gave me the keys and I took it for a ride.

Eleanor: He just… gave you his keys, huh?

Chase: I didn't even really ask for them. I just kinda complimented his car when I was going home and he just gave me the keys, said I should do something special with it.

Eleanor: Right. And I'm The Brown Recluse.

Chase: He did! I keep telling you, stuff like this just happens.

Eleanor: Chase, this has become too much. Bradley gave me a number last night when I was waiting and I made a call…

Chase: Huh?

Eleanor: There's a school up north, in New York. It's a new boarding school for… special children. Injured people too. It might be good for you to… go away for a while.

Chase: What? Bullshit! This is bullshit!

Eleanor: Language!

Chase: Fuck language! You're sending me away to some fucking boarding school because you don't believe me?

Eleanor: Like anyone would! Chase, you're going. You're leaving this weekend.

Chase: Whatever, I don't give a shit anymore. Tell your piece of shit boyfriend he just made an enemy of Chase Steele. Dammit.

Eleanor: I'll make it my top priority.

Chase: Yeah. I bet you will.

~X~

Near the docks of New York, a shootout is going on between the police force and the occupants of a house that seem to be a cultist force of some sort. A young man with the name of Phillip DeWolff is

Phillip: Damn it! What happened to Joe? Did he get the kidnapped kid?

Policeman: No! He-shit! He got shot when he went in!

A cultist pops out of one of the windows, shooting one of the ten officers in front of the building with a shotgun.

Cultist: You will not take The Starspawn away from us! He is ours!

Phillip takes a steady shot, taking out the cultist quickly and effectively.

Phillip: Goddammit. We need to get him! He's the only reason we're here, for fuck's sake!

Policeman: You and I are the only ones who fucking can, DeWolff!

Phillip: Then lets get our asses inside!

Policeman: What?

Phillip vaults over the car he is taking cover in and the policeman reluctantly follows, the two bursting inside, immediately taking out three cultists who were hiding inside.

Phillip: Get downstairs! It's most likely where they're holding him!

The two officers barrel their way through the house, finding a staircase that leads down to a basement door.

Phillip: There!

They run downstairs, but as they do, a cultist comes up from behind and attempts to shoot DeWolff, killing the policeman instead.

Phillip: Shit! No!

Phillip shoots the cultist immediately, breaking down the door in front of him.

Phillip: NYPD! Nobody move!

Phillip is immediately tackled into the wall by a shirtless cultist with a shaved head and various tattoos over his body.

Cultist: Ftagn! Ftagn! Apocalypse is coming! The Old Ones are-

Phillip brings his pistol up to his chin and fires, killing the cultist on top of him before he could finish. He stands up, wiping the blood from his face, where he sees a teenager tied to a chair dimly lit by a fading lightbulb.

Phillip: Shit…

Phillip runs over and kneels in front of the teenager, taking in his looks to make sure it's him. About 6'1", athletic in nature, black hair, blue eyes, with a tattoo of a star on his right shoulder. All of those check out. Yeah, this guy is Hunter Gannon.

Phillip: Hunter… Hunter, can you hear me?

The teenager in front of him stirs slightly.

Phillip: Fuck… he's fading fast.

Phillip hears several people run downstairs and readies his gun, only to see four police officers come into the room.

Officer: We've dealt with the cultist-Holy shit, that's the kid!

Phillip: Yeah. We need an ambulance. Get one. Now!

Officer: Right away.

The officers get to work extracting Hunter from the chair, taking him up the stairs. Phillip pinches his nose in frustration.

Phillip: _Hunter Gannon… the kid has had a rough time. After being tracked for days, they broke into The Gannon Household, murdering his family in front of him with knives and axes. They were convinced he was a prophetic figure called The Starspawn sent here by whatever fucked up god they thought existed. They've been torturing him for information ever since. How do we all know that? Because someone told us. I don't know who left us the note but… thank god._

Phillip looked around the room and began to notice some things.

Phillip: Hm?

Phillip saw several photos of Hunter, but most particularly, several other people too. Including him.

Phillip: What?

Phillip grabbed the photo of himself drinking coffee at a café.

Phillip: Why were they…?

Phillip shook his head.

Phillip: _It doesn't matter now. We'll figure it out later._

Phillip finished thinking and turned to the rest of the men.

Phillip: Ambulance here yet?

~X~

An older woman in her late thirties with brown hair put back into a ponytail is putting food on the table.

Woman: Robbie! Is Claire back yet?

A man walks into the room, he is in his forties, but still looks like he is in okay shape despite his age.

Robbie: She sent me a text a few minutes ago, Kitty. She's fine, just running a bit late with her service work.

Kitty sighs.

Kitty: So, out of our friends, we get the good child who does the charity around here, huh?

Robbie: Hey, it's a good cause. Lots of waste was dumped into the river recently, the frogs need to go somewhere else. She says, and I quote, The frogs are irradiated and could damage the other wildlife and maybe even humans. Check back later, Daddy, xxxooo.

Kitty: Well, things could be worse. She could've gotten powers.

Robbie: Thank god she didn't.

Kitty: Yeah. By the way, you saw she was accepted into Jacobson High? The new school around here?

Robbie: I did. I'm very proud of her. I've been thinking for a few weeks to get her a car. She deserves it and she doesn't really ask for much.

Kitty: In New York? Maybe. But give Claire another text, I want her home. I made her favorite, baked macaroni and cheese.

~X~

At the Hudson River's banks, Claire and several of her classmates and other volunteers are picking up frogs and putting them in containers to be shipped off to a more habitable environment.

Claire: How'd these frogs get here, anyway?

Claire Anne Baldwin, the daughter of Robbie Baldwin and Kitty Pryde Baldwin, is a very attractive young woman. She has fair skin and jet-black hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing modest yet sporty clothes to go along with her slim and toned figure. However, she was wearing a protective suit to deal with the frogs.

At this moment, she felt her phone vibrate and bent over to pick it up.

Claire: Hm?

Claire checked the text from her dad, mentioning how Mom made baked mac and cheese.

Claire: Ooo...

Several feet away from Claire, out of ear shot, several of the girls looked at each other.

Girl: So we're all in agreement?

Teenaged Girl: Yeah, let's dump this shit on her. Fuck her for bringing us out here. This detention stuff is bullshit.

The girl nods and looks at the truck filled with containers right next to Claire. She mosies on to the back of it, not attracting Claire's attention as she gets to a panel on its side. She presses a few buttons and the back of the truck begins to rise. Claire, at this point, had gotten her protective suit off and was wearing her normal clothes now.

Claire: Huh?

Claire looks up from her phone to see all the containers of irradiated frogs they had spent hours upon hours stacking up with gloves and nets being dumped on her.

Volunteer Director: What are you doing!?

The frogs land on her and, instead of jumping away, instinctively latch on to her with their tongues and feet.

Girl: What? It's just a bit of fun.

Volunteer Director: Fun? Do you think this is fun? Get a damn ambulance, John! Quickly!

Claire shrieks and writhes on the floor, able to knock all the irradiated frogs off of her body. She crawls away, but immediately feels odd.

Claire: I… I think I'm go-go…

Claire throws up, but instead of it being normal, most of it is blood.

Girl: Oh my god…

Claire grabs her stomach, yelling in pain before she completely blacks out.

~X~

Melissa: I still can't believe you're studying abroad from now on.

In The United Kingdom, Melissa Brock, formerly known as Songbird, is helping her daughter, Danielle Janine Brock, pack her clothes as she was recently accepted into a program that would allow her to go and study in America until she finished her schooling.

Dani is a quite slim

Dani: It'll be fun. I'll call you every week and text you every day.

Melissa: Your father too. He's worried sick.

Dani: Yeah… where is he, by the way?

Melissa: Your father? Finishing up some work and grabbing some things before he heads home.

Dani sighs.

Melissa: Your father works very hard to provide for us and loves you very much, Dani. Sometimes it's hard for him to juggle everything.

Dani: Yeah, I know.

Melissa: And, I have something for you…

Melissa reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small box, placing it into Dani's hand. Dani opens it tentatively, peeking inside, seeing a necklace with a metal songbird attached to the end of it.

Dani: A necklace?

Melissa: This was my mother's. She gave it to me before she was… taken away.

Dani: Are you sure you want me to have this?

Melissa: Positive. It'll remind you of me when you're in the states.

Dani smiles.

Dani: Thanks Mum. I love it.

Dani puts the necklace on and looks at herself in the mirror, seeing that the necklace does compliment her nearly white, platinum blonde hair and green eyes.

Melissa: You look a lot like your father, you know.

Dani: Oh. Thanks.

Melissa: You know what I mean, I meant that you have a lot of his features. Like his eyes. It's a good quality.

Dani: Thanks, Mum.

Melissa: I'll let you finish, I'm going to call your father, just want to check in.

Dani: Okay.

Melissa hugs her daughter and walks out. Dani looks at herself in the mirror.

Dani has wondered for a while how to tell her mother that she is a mutant. Or is she a mutant? Did she just inherit some of her powers? Or is there the actual gene inside of her?

Dani has a hollowed skeleton, meaning she is much lighter on her feet, she can be very acrobatic and flexible as well, sometimes it even seems like she glides, she's not sure though. On top of that, she is able to grow out talons from her fingers, similar to how some birds can.

She has another remarkable ability too. She can manipulate avian lifeforms. She's not sure how, but she can in fact convey her thoughts to birds and they listen to her. They can talk to her and she can talk to them. And they seem to always listen to her and follow orders.

And those are not really a problem. Those are fine. Those are acceptable. She can explain those. But there's one other ability she seems to have inherited, but not from her mother or any gene.

Specifically her father.

Dani looks at herself in the mirror again, wondering when _that_ side of her is going to come out again. Hopefully… never. But she knows that's not true.

But a girl can dream.

~X~

_Back in The United States…_

On the outskirts of New York, on a small island, there lies a large school teaming with life. A new school, a new place for people to get together. The Jacobson High School For The Special and Disabled. Mostly just referred to as Jacobson High.

And in the main building, a skinny teenaged girl is waiting with several boxes and a carry-on bag. She is wearing clothes that you would probably typically see on a tomboy, to be perfectly honest, with glasses to top it all off. She has somewhat shorter light brown hair as well. A tall schoolteacher, probably around 6'4", walks up to her. He is of Asian-American descent, has short black hair and is wearing somewhat casual clothes.

Teacher: Ariel Sofen, yes?

Ariel sheepishly nods.

Teacher: Welcome to Jacobson High! I'm Joel Satou. I'm most likely going to be your History teacher; you're in eleventh grade, right?

Ariel nods again.

Joel: Then yes, I will be. I'll be helping you to your dorm and help you get set up, is that okay?

Ariel: Uhuh.

Joel: Great, here, I'll take these.

Joel gathers up the boxes she has, handing one of the smaller ones to her that he isn't able to carry.

Joel: Okay, so we're going to go to the elevators, see them over there? Fifth floor.

The two make their way up to the fifth floor eventually, setting the boxes down in front of a room at the end of the hallway.

Joel: Okay, this is your room. See? 5F. These are your keys.

Ariel: Thank you.

Joel: Anytime. Remember, I'm Joel Satou, you can call me Mr. Satou, Joel, Satou, Mr. S, whatever. I don't really mind. If you need anything, you can come to me, okay?

Ariel nods and Joel walks off. The girl sighs, opening the door and lugging her stuff into it, seeing a room with a desk and a bed and a window. Not much other than that, really. She brings everything inside, but, when she grabs the last big box and carries it in, she drops it, the contents of it spewing out onto the floor, dirtying everything already.

Ariel: Aw man…

Ariel looks outside to see if anyone is watching, finding a mostly empty hallway. She closes the door and turns back to the box.

Ariel: Here goes…

Ariel puts out her hands and closes her eyes, a green energy glowing off from her palms. And miraculously, the box begins to repair itself, the contents going back in neatly before sealing itself together once again.

Ariel: Okay…

Ariel puts down her hands and the glow disappears.

Ariel: Well… this year isn't starting out in the best way.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_Hey everybody,_

_Welcome new readers and old readers of mine. I'm going to be writing this series when I'm not writing Requiem. It's a fun little superhero series that takes place after a fanfic of a friend of mine, Damon, who will probably be posting some stuff here soon. When he does, I'll post a link here for you to read. Great writer, great guy._

_Now, this series has a lot going on and I won't go into much detail about every storyline, but, basically, some of these children are the sons/daughters of superheroes that appeared in Damon's stories, some of them are not. All of them are apart of The Knights, which is a team I used in a different fanfiction I wrote called The Phantom. Longest fanfic I've ever written, it hit two hundred chapters and was even going to have a sequel series, but, shit happened, which ended up with that not happening anymore. Maybe one day._

_A lot of heroes will make cameos, maybe some of your favorites, and so will a lot of villains. That'll be fun._

_So. Yeah. Uh... that's about it._

_Thanks,  
Sam._


	2. Chapter 2: Origins Uh Continued

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 2.**

_Two Weeks Prior, In Rome…_

A team of researchers and archaeologists are standing on one of the levels of the old forum, looking around as the place had been mostly lit by now through torches and flashlights. One of the men there, a man by the name of Gary Antonelli, is taking pictures of the walls around him to put into a scrapbook.

Gary: Absolutely beautiful.

Gary continues to take pictures until he is approached by one of the researchers, a co-worker of his.

Woman: Hey, Gary?

Gary: Oh hey.

Woman: I just heard about some things. Are you having problems with your wife?

Gary stops in his tracks for a second, but continues on doing what he's doing.

Gary: Problems? None at all. Doing just fine.

Woman: Oh. Okay.

Gary: Who did you hear that from?

Gary is pointed over to one end of the cavern, seeing the history teacher and his colleague, Joel Satou, studying something. He catches Gary's eye and waves to him with a smile, going back to his work.

Woman: He wanted to check on you, but he's quite busy.

Gary: Right. Well, I'm fine, thank you. I have something to finish up here.

Woman: Okay, we're over there.

The woman walks off and Gary continues taking pictures.

Gary: _Joel Satou… I never liked him. Always sticking his nose in other people's business. Should leave well enough alone._

Gary finishes taking pictures, but notices something at the corner of the cavern, an opening of some sort.

Gary: Hm?

Gary examines the opening, seeing that it's wide enough for him to squeeze through, and seems to lead to a different room. He looks back at the group who are all busy and then turns back to the crack, beginning to push his way through.

Gary: Hngh…

Gary squeezes his body through the passage and stumbles out into the room.

Gary: Mother of God…

Gary walks into a room that has a red carpet leading up to an altar of some sort. It is a completely golden altar with the symbols of the Gods on it, along with a large wolf.

Gary: What is this thing?

_What is it, indeed, Gary?_

Gary jumps back against the wall.

Gary: What the hell?

The voice doesn't respond, but Gary walks forward tentatively and steps in front of the altar.

Gary: Um…

Gary reaches forward and lets his hand rest on the altar, but suddenly, he feels something shoot inside him.

Gary: Ow!

Gary takes his hand away and shakes off the sting of the random jolt.

Gary: Weird.

Gary decides it's best not to mention the altar, as he doesn't get a good vibe from it, as he heads back inside the main cavern.

~X~

On the outskirts of what is now a destroyed Detroit, Michigan, the young man who had been the only survivor of this incident was being checked out by several government officials in a base of some kind.

The main one is a man with short hair and a suit.

Official: So, you cannot remember anything? At all?

Young Man: No… I'm sorry.

Official: Hm. Your fingerprint doesn't show up in our database. Which is… unheard of. Are you from The US?

Young Man: I… think? Do I sound foreign?

Official: No. Huh. Give me one moment, please.

The official walks to the edge of the room and gets on his communicator.

Official: I don't think he had a hand in this… no… he's just a scared kid, probably got hit on the head during the explosions, he even has signs of radiation that the bomb gave off, so he was there… most likely caught in the blast, yes… are you sure we should take him there…? Okay, all right. Okay, thank you Sir.

But then, for some reason, the Official didn't walk back. And… come to think of it, there wasn't any noise either.

Everything had stopped… except this young man.

And he got up eventually, looking around. He saw water coming out of a faucet stop in mid air, a fork that had been dropped during its bounce, everything was perfectly still.

He wandered for a few moments until everything came back into motion, the official turning around to see the young man right behind him.

Official: Whoa. When did you get there?

Young Man: Uh.

Official: Nevermind. Okay, so, can you remember anything at all about your name?

Young Man: Um…

The young man thinks for a moment, and then something comes to his head. Trevor Draven.

Young Man: Trevor… Trevor Draven, I think.

Official: Trevor Draven… okay, Trevor. We have a place for you to go for a little while, until all of this is sorted out, okay?

Trevor: Wh-where?

Official: It's a school. For special children who have gone through hard times. We will be able to keep an eye on you there. Jacobson High in New York.

Jacobson… that rang a bell. Trevor felt like he needed to go there.

Trevor: Are you sure?

Official: Positive. If you remember anything, I'll give you a number and then you can call me there. My name is Matthew King, all right?

Trevor: Matthew King… okay. Thank you.

Matthew: Don't mention it, now; these men are going to take you to a place to get you some clothes and other things for your trip to New York.

Trevor: O-okay.

Matthew: Good. I'll check on you when you get back.

Trevor walks off with the men and Matthew gets on his communicator immediately.

Matthew: Sir? We're getting him to the school soon. Can I ask, why do you want him there of all places?

On the other side of the line, a black man with an eyepatch is leaning back in his chair.

Nick Fury: Don't worry, Agent King. You leave everything else up to me. Fury, out.

~X~

Chase is standing outside of Jacobson High near his mother and her boyfriend, Bradley. Chase is wearing a bomber jacket, aviator sunglasses, and jeans, holding his duffle bag over his shoulder.

Chase: So… this is prison, hm?

Eleanor: Oh Chase, please. This is a very nice place.

Chase: Yeah. Sure.

Bradley: I think you'll love it here, I know most of the people who run this place personally and I'll tell them to keep an eye out for you.

Chase: I know. You would've done that regardless.

Chase turns to the couple.

Chase: I'll go in by myself.

Eleanor: Okay. I love you.

Chase: Mmhm.

Chase turns to Bradley.

Chase: You got my message right?

Bradley: Yes I did.

Chase: Good. Because life changes when I'm your enemy, man. Remember that.

Chase turns away and walks through the gates, pressing a button to close the gates behind him.

~X~

Hunter Gannon's eyes flutter open to the sound of a primal screech.

Hunter: Hrm…?

Hunter sits up, leaning on his right hand as he pinches his nose. He didn't feel pain… but he felt sluggish. Tired. Anxious.

Hunter: What's going…? What?

Hunter looks around and finds himself… in… in a place nearly impossible to explain.

He was on a stone platform in a stormy, completely dark… place? Was this even Earth? He didn't know. But all around him was a mass of writhing matter. He couldn't make it out what it was, but the platform itself seems to be held up by these… tentacles. He's not sure if those are mountains in the distance or just more of whatever was here.

Hunter: Holy shit…

?: There is nothing holy here, Hunter Gannon.

Hunter span around at the sound of the voice, seemingly coming from all around him. Inside his head as well. This felt… like nothing he'd ever felt before.

Hunter: Wh-who are you?

The tentacles writhed all around him.

?: He Who Sleeps But Shall Soon Awake, The Withering Devourer, The Unclosing Eye, The Great Old One… I am known by many names, defined by my actions. I fed on the screaming souls of universes. I drank the spoiled milk of dead stars. I am the emptiness outside all understanding. I am Shuma-Gorath.

The very name chilled Hunter's bones.

Hunter: I don't… I don't know who…

Shuma-Gorath: I don't expect you to.

Hunter: Look, I'm sorry, I just want to go back home. I don't know why I'm here or what the hell is going on.

Shuma-Gorath: Do you not remember, Hunter Gannon?

Hunter: Remember what? I don't know what you're talking about!

Shuma-Gorath: Your parents.

Suddenly, images were forced into Hunter's mind, making him remember that his parents were slaughtered in front of them. Hunter begins to tear up.

Hunter: Oh god.

Shuma-Gorath: My followers used their blood as a sacrifice to me.

Hunter's eyes widen.

Hunter: Y-you were the reason they-

Shuma-Gorath: They believed you to be a Starspawn. Starspawns are powerful emissaries of The Old Ones. Most likely, they wished for you to communicate with me.

Hunter: Why? Why would they need to do that to…?

Shuma-Gorath: I offer power, Hunter Gannon.

Hunter: I don't want power… I just want to go home.

Shuma-Gorath seems to chuckle at this.

Shuma-Gorath: Good. You will be an apt candidate to my power.

A green relic of some sort appears out of nowhere

Shuma-Gorath: This relic is an extension of my power. If you accept it, you will be given The Power of The Old Ones.

Hunter: What if I don't?

Shuma-Gorath: What do you think, Hunter Gannon?

Hunter looks at the stone in front of him.

Hunter: What's the price? The catch?

Shuma-Gorath: There is no catch, only accept this power as yours, and you will go on to do great things. But you must accept it wholeheartedly.

Hunter breathes in slowly.

Hunter: I… I accept.

The matter around the platform vibrates in laughter.

Shuma-Gorath: Good. Take the artifact.

Hunter reaches out tentatively, grabbing the side of it. And then, suddenly, it begins to shake and glow brighter.

Hunter: Hm?

The green artifact begins to dissolve, its essence coursing into Hunter's hand.

Hunter: Agh!

Shuma-Gorath: It seems you really are a Starspawn, Hunter Gannon. Good. This would have been much more painful had you not been. And you would not have liked the outcome.

Hunter: Grraghh!

Hunter begins to contort and shiver, power flowing through his veins.

Shuma-Gorath: Go forth, my emissary. Find the other four and bring Earth to its knees.

Hunter: Wh-what?

And then, suddenly, Hunter falls unconscious.

~X~

Claire Baldwin is in the living room with her parents, just having gotten back from the hospital with her parents.

Robbie: Are you sure you're all right?

Claire nods.

Claire: Just feeling a little queasy.

Kitty: I'll get you some Alka-Seltzer.

Claire: No, no, it's okay. I'm just gonna go sit down in my room, I have to get to Jacobson tomorrow.

Kitty: Are you sure you don't want to wait?

Claire: I'll be okay after a nap. Really, it wasn't that bad. Just… felt bad after a little while.

Claire walks up the stairs slowly, her stomach clenching as she moves her legs up. Eventually, she gets to her mostly packed up room, closing the door with one hand, leaning against the door.

Claire: Oof… I think I'll sleep.

Claire then tries to get off of the door, but finds her hand is stuck to it.

Claire: Hm?

Claire tries to remove it and succeeds, taking little bits of the door along with her.

Claire: Crap!

Claire is able to brush the pieces off of her fingers and into her garbage can.

Claire: What's going on?

Claire looks at her hands, and then for some reason, her vision began expanding.

Claire: Wh-what?

Claire jumps back slightly, but instead of just normally landing an inch or two back, she is flung all across the room and onto her bed, hitting her head on her bedframe. She grabs her head, opening her eyes to find that for some odd reason, she can see almost completely around herself, except directly behind. Almost 360-degree vision…

Claire: What is going on?

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Chapter 3: Yeah, Pretty Much

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 3.**

Hunter walks into the grounds of the new school, seeing the main courtyard bustling with students trying to get to The Main Assembly Hall for the first assembly of the year. Not five minutes ago did he finish setting up his new room. After waking up in a hospital bed, a detective named Phillip had set him up with room and schooling here until further notice.

Hunter walks through the courtyard, wearing his school uniform. It was just black slacks and a white button up shirt. He was in the boy's dorm on the second floor and there was barely anyone on that floor, actually. He only noticed two other guys with rooms very spread apart. It was nice.

As he was preoccupied thinking about his living arrangements, he bumped into someone and completely knocked him or her to the floor.

Woman: Hey, watch it!

Hunter: Oh. Crap, sorry.

Hunter helped the person to her feet and saw that there were two other taller people there, one about his height. However, the other two looked older. One of them had short brown hair and a goatee while one was very beautiful with long red hair. The girl, however, was slim and took a bit of features from both of her parents. She had shorter red hair that was the same color of her parents.

Hunter: Hi, sorry again.

Man: It's fine, really.

Teenage Girl: I should have moved out of the way.

The girl puts out her hand for a shake.

Teenage Girl: I'm Mayday. Mayday Parker. These are my parents. Peter and Mary Jane Parker.

Peter: Hey there.

Mary Jane: Hi.

Hunter: Hi. I'm Hunter. New here.

Mayday: Hunter… you wouldn't happen to be the kid that got-

Hunter: Yes. Yes I was.

Mayday: Oh. I… I'm really sorry, I-

Hunter: It's fine. It was nice to meet you all.

Hunter turns and hurries down the path, trying to not make eye contact with the girl and her parents. He didn't want anyone to know about that… hell, he wishes he could forget it himself.

~X~

Ariel walks into the auditorium, which was mostly empty. She's wearing her school uniform, a white sweater vest, a white blouse, black skirt, normal shoes, and

Ariel: _I guess other students are still getting breakfast._

Ariel sits down in the row of her advisory, leaning her hand and waiting for the assembly to begin.

?: Ariel? Is that you?

Ariel turns to the left to see Claire Baldwin at the end of the row.

Ariel: Claire!

Claire: Oh my God!

Claire walks over and gives Ariel a hug, sitting down next to her.

Claire: Wow. Can't believe you're here. Where've you been for, like, seven years?

Ariel: Um, my moms moved us to upstate New York and I… I kind of forgot about you.

Claire: Oh don't worry about that. I'm just glad you're here.

Ariel smiles shyly. People began to file in at this point.

Claire: I can't wait for the year to start. I have a good feeling.

Ariel: I don't.

Claire: Well perk up a little. You never know what could happen.

Ariel: Yeah, I guess.

Ariel turns around to look at the people filing in.

Ariel: Sure are a lot of girls this year…

Claire doesn't have to, because of her newfound vision, as she just looks straight ahead.

Claire: Huh, yeah, there are.

Ariel: You're not even looking.

Claire: Yeah I a-Uh. Right, sorry.

?: Oh my God! Claire and Ariel!

It's now Claire's turn to look to the left, seeing Mayday Parker in a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and pants instead of a skirt.

Mayday: Wow! Guys!

Mayday runs over and gives them both a hug.

Claire: I… can't believe it. Mayday?

Ariel: We haven't seen you for over a decade.

Mayday: I know! This is crazy that we all enrolled in the same school. Wonder if we'll see anyone else. Maybe like… Seth'll be here.

Ariel: Seth… isn't coming.

Mayday: How do you know?

Claire: A few years ago, Seth had a falling out with his Dad and ran away. We haven't seen him since.

Mayday: What happened?

Ariel: I don't know. I don't think anyone does, really.

Mayday: That's sad… Seth was cool.

Ariel: Yeah.

They talked a bit until the assembly began, where an older man walked out onto the stage.

Old Man: Hello children, my name is Wesley Jacobson. And welcome to Jacobson High!

Wesley clears his throat.

Wesley: I named this school after the family name, but most notably my father, Jonathan Jacobson. He was a good man who believed that anyone deserved the right to education and community, even if they were special or disabled in some way or form, whether positive or negative. He believed that The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, a special partner of ours, was an amazing example of just that, Education and Community. And my father attended that school.

Murmurs began to arise from the crowd.

Wesley: And for those who were wondering, yes, he was a mutant. I, however, have seemed to not have received his genetics. I am a normal human being who is carrying on the ideals of his family in the form of this school. Hopefully, long after I'm gone, it will still stand here and be a symbol to all of you that the far-off idea of World Peace can be achieved through hard work and love for one another.

Wesley adjusts his tie for a moment and then continues.

Wesley: But that's where you come in. You are the first batch of students to be taught at this wonderful establishment. While it is a smaller class, you will be one of many to come. And, hopefully, you will be an example to them all of the ideals that this school was found on. I look forward to meeting you all in the coming year and am excited to see you all succeed. Thank you.

A round of applause comes from the crowd after that.

~X~

Trevor Draven is walking out of the assembly, thinking over what he's going to do this year. And thinking about what he likes doing. I mean… that's a very weird thing. He doesn't even know what he wants to do.

As he was doing that, Trevor walked past a group of jocks.

Jock: Hey kid.

Trevor tuns to them.

Trevor: Hi.

Jock: What's your name?

Trevor: Uh, Trevor.

Jock: Oh. Where you from, Trev?

Trevor closes his eyes for a moment.

Trevor: Please don't ask me that.

Jock: What?

Trevor: I just… please don't. I don't know.

The jock stood up.

Jock: You giving me attitude, man? I'm just trying to be nice.

He began to push himself into Trevor, he and his buddies cornering him.

At that moment, the three girls had been walking by and saw the gathering crowd.

Mayday: What's going on?

The three run over.

~X~

Shortly after the assembly, Chase Steele was walking back to his room. Today, to commemorate the first and new year of Jacobson, everyone got the long weekend off. Which was pretty cool, since today was a Thursday. This particular teen was wearing his school uniform and his school jacket, except it was unbuttoned, revealing a t-shirt instead of his normal school shirt.

Chase was lighting himself a smoke when he saw commotion near one of the dormitories. There were three larger jocks surrounding a teen with blonde hair and glasses, Trevor Draven.

Jock: What the hell's the matter with you? All I asked was 'where you were from' and you got all uppity with me!

Claire: Leave him alone!

Trevor: I just told you, please don't ask, I don't know!

Jock: Jesus, are you trying to make a fool out of me?

Trevor: No!

The Jock throws a punch, knocking the glasses off of Trevor's head.

Trevor: Ngh…

Chase: Hey!

The crowd that had gathered around opened for Chase, who, after readjusting his sunglasses, blows out a puff of smoke.

Chase: I'm going to advise you to walk away.

The three girls in the crowd are

Jock: Who the hell do you think you are?

Chase: Steele. Chase Steele.

Jock: Fuck you, man. Trying to act all cool and shit. Your mom give you those glasses?

Chase: You gonna stand there or come get some? You're killing the grass.

The jock and his friends angrily rush over to Chase.

Jock: Do you want me to give you a fist in the face?

Chase: I'd prefer you'd give over the whore that is your sister.

The jock immediately wound up for a punch, but before he could throw it out, Chase spits out his smoke, hitting the jock in the eye.

Jock: Agh!

The jock bent over and grabbed his face, trying to wipe the ashes from it, when Chase leaps up and punches him in the back of the head.

Ariel: Oh my god!

Chase is then hit in the back with one punch and then another. Surprisingly, before getting beaten down by the other two, Mayday jumps in and sweeps his legs out from under him, causing him to smash his face into the floor. Ariel and Claire immediately try to pull Mayday out of the fight.

Chase readjusts himself, looking at the one with soccer-themed clothing.

Chase: How about you, fairy? Wanna dance?

He puts up his hands meekly in anticipation of a fight, but Chase just moves forward quickly, causing him to trip back into the wall, knocking himself out. Trevor looks over to Chase, who is just smirking at the scene.

Chase: Big men who can't walk their talk. Seems to be a pattern.

?: What is the meaning of this?

Gary Antonelli pushes through the crowd, seeing Chase, Mayday, Ariel, Trevor, and Claire standing over three unconscious jocks.

Gary: Did you all do this?

Mayday: We-

Ariel: I-

Trevor: Um-

Chase: Yeah, pretty much.

Gary scowls and walks straight up to Chase, pointing in his face.

Gary: Young man, don't you take that tone with me. And is that a t-shirt? Not school uniform? Were you smoking just now? Wow! All of you! Report to the detention room right now!

Claire: What!? I didn't- What!?

Chase: Tch. Of course.

Gary: Of course what?

Chase: Of course you give us detentions. It's the only power you have over us.

Gary: I…

Chase: Yeah. That's right. Fuel your inferiority complex you little piece of-

Claire: Please don't make this worse for us.

Chase: Could I make his life any worse? Don't know about that one.

Chase walks past Gary and into the crowd. Gary just stands there, fuming and shocked.

For some reason, Trevor, after a moment, follows him to the detention room.

Claire storms off and Mayday runs after her, but Ariel stays for a moment as the crowd disperses.

She looks around for a moment, kneels down, and touches the main jock's nose. With a green glow, she repairs it. The jock looks up at her, touching his nose, his eyes wide.

Jock: Wow… what was that?

Ariel: Doesn't matter. Don't you tell anyone, okay?

Jock: Y-yeah. I promise.

Ariel: What's your name?

Jock: Cedric Hardy Walker…

Ariel: Cool name. I'm Ariel. I'll see you around I uh… I have detention.

Ariel runs off after the other girls and Cedric helps his friends to his feet.

Cedric: _Wow_…

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Chapter 4: The Jacobson Family

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 4.**

Gary is sitting in his dark office, looking at a picture of his wife and daughter. He has a blank stare, tears forming at the edges of his eyes.

_Look, Marcella, I have to get this done, if I don't, I could not get paid this month. And we need the money! _

_Marcella? Wh-what are you doing with that man? Oh god…_

_Daddy has to go away for a little while, sweetheart. I'll be back soon, don't worry. I love you so much, Lily._

_Marcella, why are you doing this? What did I do to you? Why are you taking it all away?_

_My car! What are you doing wi-what? Being towed? Why? …Bullshit! Fuck that goddamn woman!_

_It's him. The guy that Marcella is fucking now. Goddammit. I wish I could just… make him disappear. Gah! I need to keep working._

_Doc… did you really say that? Holy shit… cancer… fuck._

_Baby? Are you there? Hi sweetheart, I-Marcella? Wh-what are you? N-no… No! She's my daughter! I demand to speak with-… Hello? Hello?! Damn it!_

_You're firing me? You are firing… me? Oh God. Why? Why would you do this? I… I…_

_Thank you, Mr. Jacobson… this will help me so much. I can't wait to teach Roman Civilization, I really can't._

_I'm going on an excavation? Wow! I can't wait._

Gary closes his eyes slightly, putting the photo down as he begins to cry. Where had his life gone?

Why had he ended up this way?

~X~

Mayday: This sucks.

Trevor, Ariel, Mayday, Claire, and Chase are in the detention room, all doing various things. No teachers were present for some reason, possibly having to do with trying to keep watch on everyone else in the school.

Chase, in particular, is lying back, throwing his cigarette butt out the window. Claire glares at him.

Chase: What?

Claire: Nothing.

Chase rolls his eyes.

Chase: Look, if you have something to say, just-

Claire: You could have thrown it in the trash.

Chase: The trash? But it's over there.

Claire: So?

Chase: I'd have to take like… ten whole steps to get over there to throw it away. Why not just toss it?

Claire: It's bad for the environment.

Chase: Yeah? Well so are human beings. I don't see you killing off every human you see.

Claire seethes, crossing her arms, obviously having being beaten in the conversation.

Trevor turns around in his seat to look at Chase.

Trevor: Um…

Chase: Yes?

Trevor: Why did you save me?

Chase takes a moment, breathing out the last puff of smoke into the room. Ariel wipes the air, trying to get the smell of the smoke away.

Chase: Well… I've never been a fan of jocks. Or bullies, for that matter.

Trevor: Oh.

Chase: Yeah. What's your name?

Trevor: Um… Trevor.

Chase: Where you from Trevor?

Trevor: I… please don't ask me that.

Chase: Hm. Like to keep to yourself, huh? That's cool.

Trevor: Really?

Chase: Yeah.

Trevor: Thanks.

Chase shrugs.

Chase: Trevor…

Chase leans forward in his chair.

Chase: I think you and I? We're gonna be best friends.

Trevor: Uh… really?

Chase: Mmhm. Really.

Trevor smiles at that.

Trevor: Thanks! I've uh…

Chase: Never had a friend? Seemed like it. Well now you have one. Name's Steele. Chase Steele.

The three girls were talking amongst themselves when they looked over and saw someone walking in the almost empty courtyard.

Claire: Who's that?

Mayday: Who? Him?

The person walking in the courtyard, Hunter Gannon, sits down on a bench, looking at his hand.

Ariel: What is he doing?

Hunter takes a hard look at his hand, feeling as if there's some sort of… energy? Power? Something coming out of it.

And then, suddenly, a small tendril made of darkness and shadow, surrounded by a green mist of some sort began to slither out of his hand.

Hunter: Agh!

Hunter punches the tendril and it stops, but does not go back into his hand. He continues to punch his hand, then slamming it on the bench he's sitting on.

Claire: Uh…

Hunter finally is able to get it back into his skin but is completely terrified. What in the hell was that?

?: You done with that?

Hunter looks up to see a woman with long platinum blonde hair, black eyeliner, somewhat punk clothes, and pale skin look down at him with a paper in her hand.

Claire: Guys…? Guys, is that Dani?

Hunter: Um… yeah.

Dani: Uh, could you direct me to the bathrooms?

Hunter silently points to the outside bathroom building.

Dani: Heh. You're weird. I kinda like weird.

Hunter raises an eyebrow.

Dani: I'm Dani. You?

Hunter: Hunter.

Dani: Well, I'll see you around, Hunter.

Hunter: Uhuh.

Dani walks off, leaving Hunter confused.

Mayday: I wonder what they were talking about…

Chase: Does it matter?

Mayday: Guess not.

Trevor is sitting silently, thinking to himself when he feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns to see Mayday.

Mayday: Hi. I'm Mayday Parker. What's your name?

Trevor: Trevor.

Mayday: Hi Trevor. This is Ariel and Claire.

Claire smiles and nods at him. Ariel gives a little wave.

Chase: Well…?

Mayday: Well, what?

Chase: Aren't you going to introduce me? Ask my name?

Mayday: I already know your name. That teacher was yelling it.

Chase: Well?

Mayday: You heard me. Ariel and Claire.

Chase nods at them.

Chase: How do you do?

Claire: Uh…

Ariel: Fine, thanks.

Chase: Good myself.

The room stays silent for a few moments.

Chase: Well, you all see where this is going, right?

Mayday: Huh?

Chase: We're all going to be friends.

Claire: Friends? With you?

Chase: Yeah, friends with me toots.

Chase turns his attention to the room.

Chase: Come on. Do we really have to go through all the bullshit of 'getting to know each other' or can we all just say 'Hey, we're friends now!'

Mayday: Well…

Claire: You're actually considering this?

Ariel: I mean… they don't really seem like bad people…

Claire: You too?

Trevor: I'd be willing… if it's any help.

Chase: All it leaves out is you, Clem.

Claire: It's Claire.

Chase: Right, Claire.

Claire thinks for a moment and then sighs.

Claire: Fine.

Chase: Right then. We're all friends now. I dub us the… uh…

Trevor: Jacobson Family?

Chase: Perfect!

Mayday: Uh…

Chase: Shh you. That works perfectly. We're all The Jacobson Family.

Chase smirks, pulls out a cigarette, and begins to light it.

Chase: I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

~X~

At home, Gary Antonelli is holding a gun in his right hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. He is completely black out drunk.

Gary: Goddamn it… goddamn it all.

Gary takes the last swig of the bottle and throws it to the ground.

Gary: I hate this stupid fucking world… I hate it with all my heart. I'm leaving it. I'm never gonna get hurt again…

Gary puts the gun to his head.

Gary: I love you, Lily…

_What are you doing!?_

Gary then attempts to pull the trigger, but something in his body causes the pistol to be shot to the other side of the room.

Gary: Huh?

_Do you remember my voice?_

Gary looks around.

Gary: You're the same voice I heard in the tomb…

_Yes, Gary… Yes… Gary, why are you doing this?_

Gary: I… Why shouldn't I? My life has gone to shit. My wife left me, she's keeping me from my daughter, I have cancer, I got fired from my old job, I had to beg for my new one… god… I hate this. I hate this world!

_It's okay, Gary. We both hate this world. But why leave it?_

Gary: Huh?

_Why leave it, when we can rule it? When we can destroy it ourselves at our own bidding… on our terms?_

Gary: What are you saying? Who are you?

_The question is… who are you? And I know. We both know._

Gary: I… I'm Gary Anto-

_No. No that is the name your mortal mother gave to you. No, you were originally known by a different name. You were known as The King of Kings. The Creator of Civilization. The Ruler of Men…_

_Romulus…_

Gary: Romulus? The founder of Rome?

_You are his next incarnation… you are to bring forth the next age of Rome. It is your destiny._

Gary: I… I knew it. I knew I was special.

_You're very special, Gary. You're going to change the world._

_Lay this world to ruin! Destroy it for The Glory of Rome, my master, Romulus._

Gary then feels something beginning to burst inside of him, a power he has never felt before.

And for the first time in a long time… he genuinely smiles.

**To Be Continued…**


	5. Chapter 5: Friends Suck

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 5.**

_The Next Day, Friday…_

Dani: Did you hear?

At the moment, Hunter was outside, sitting on a bench in the courtyard. He was trying to find out more about the power that Shuma-Gorath had given to him when she randomly approached him.

Hunter: Uh… hello?

Dani: Gary Antonelli apparently got into a car crash and died.

Hunter: I don't know him.

Dani frowns.

Dani: So you don't care?

Hunter: No. No, not really. Why are you following me again?

Dani: I don't know. You're interesting.

Hunter: Right. Well, girl, I'd probably say you should stay away.

Dani: Aw. Don't like my company?

Dani sits down next to Hunter.

Hunter: Didn't say that. It's just… probably not… well…

Hunter sighs.

Hunter: It doesn't matter, okay?

Dani: Well you just made a big deal about it. So I'd say it is a big deal.

Hunter frowns.

Hunter: Just… leave me alone.

Dani: I don't think so, big guy. I think you need a friend.

Hunter: I… I have plenty of friends.

Dani: Oh really?

Hunter: Yeah! Look, that's why I was out here. I'm waiting for them.

Dani: Oh then you don't mind if I wait with you then?

Hunter scowls causing Dani to try and hold back a giggle.

Hunter: Fine. Wait. I don't care.

Dani: I know you don't.

So the two of them just kind of wait there. Hunter tries to act as if he's expecting people, looking around a lot, while Dani just smiles, waiting for that moment…

Hunter: Fine. Yeah. I don't have any friends, all right?

Yeah that moment.

Dani: I already knew that.

Hunter: So, what, you want to be my friend?

Dani: Don't know yet, with that attitude, not really.

Hunter: I don't care what you think about my attitude. I'm not looking for and don't need friends.

Dani: Ooo. So wow. Much brood.

Hunter: Whatever, man. I'm going.

Dani: Nu-uh. I'm coming with.

Hunter walks off and Dani trails close behind.

~X~

Trevor sits in his room, organizing a bunch of activities to do to see exactly what he likes doing.

Trevor: Hm… all right. Video games first…

**Brrrrinngggg! Brrrrriingggg!**

Trevor turns to the phone he had gotten days prior and grabs it, opening it up and answering it.

Trevor: Hello?

On the other line, special agent Matt King is walking through the docks of The Caribbean, wearing a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt and slacks.

Matt: Hey Trevor.

Trevor: Oh. Hi Matt.

Matt: How've you been doing? Adjusting?

Trevor: Well… yeah. I have some friends now.

Matt: Already? Good! Very good. I just wanted to check in on you. I might get sent to visit you sometime soon.

Trevor: That'd be nice.

Matt: And-

Matt looks ahead to see a man trying to rip a purse from a woman's hands.

Matt: Give me one second.

The man makes off with it, running towards Matt. The special agent takes out a small device and sticks out his foot, the man tripping over it and falling right onto the device, getting tazed and knocked out. He grabs the purse and throws it to the woman, walking past her.

Matt: But yeah, I'll visit you soon. I gotta get going though, I have an assignment to get to.

Trevor: Okay. Thanks for checking in.

Matt: No problem. See ya.

Matt hangs up the phone and Trevor puts his down.

Trevor: Hm…

Trevor thinks for a moment and then gets another forced memory from his forgotten past… Matt King standing over him and smiling warmly. Like a… he doesn't know.

Huh.

~X~

Hunter and Dani are walking through the hallways of the school.

Dani: Where are you going?

Hunter: Library.

Dani: Why?

Hunter: It's quiet.

Dani: Do you like quiet?

Hunter: What do you think?

She stays silent as they continue to walk, but Hunter, in his anger, accidentally bumps into someone hard.

Hunter: Ow. Sorry, man, I-

Hunter looks over to see Gary Antonelli who is now looking much more healthy, spritely, and even muscular. His balding head now is completely bald and his unkempt beard is now in a trimmed goatee.

Hunter: Uh…

Gary: What is it?

Gary snaps at them.

Hunter: Just… you look different from when I saw you yesterday, Mr. Antonelli.

Gary sneers.

Gary: Well, I had a change of… heart, you could say. Gave me a little boost.

Gary then looks at Dani.

Gary: Why hello there, beautiful.

Gary reaches to grab her hand, but Dani moves out of the way and slightly behind Hunter. Gary looks at Hunter.

Gary: _Hm… another alpha-male of sorts. Competition. I don't like competition._

Dani: Whoa!

Gary: What?

Dani: Excuse me, creep, but I'm not into older men.

Gary nearly snarls at her, raising himself up higher as if in preparation to strike.

Gary: You… you…

Gary angrily storms off down the hall.

Hunter: What the hell was that about?

Dani: What a fucking creep.

The two walk into the library but Gary, who is at the end of the hall, heard every word with his newfound heightened senses. He snarls.

~X~

~X~

Claire hears a knock at her door.

Claire: Ooo, is it the package?

Claire opens the door up and sees a deliveryman.

Deliveryman: Uh… I have a package for Claire Baldwin?

Claire: That's me.

Deliveryman: Sign here.

Claire signs and is given the package. She puts it down on her bed after closing the door, opening it up and pulling it out, revealing a Spider-Man Ends of the Earth Armor.

Claire: Hm…

Claire then gets to work on it, pulling the spider off the chestplate and the back, taking all the blue parts on it and beginning to dye them black. Then she takes all the red parts and begins to dye them green.

Claire: This is going to look awesome tomorrow.

Claire leaves the costume on her desk for the dye to dry.

~X~

Gary, later in his office, is sitting in his comfy chair.

Gary: This new body… I feel reinvigorated. I've never felt so alive!

_Yes. The peak of physical human conditioning. It's quite a feeling._

Gary: This must feel like how Captain America must have felt back then…

_But you still have power to unlock._

Gary: I do? What more can I get?

_Oh so much more, Gary. But you have to make a sacrifice. This power is not given easily._

Gary: Of course! I'll do anything!

_Well…_

~X~

Mayday Parker is not on the school grounds like all the others would be. In fact, she's in the city right now. And she's not wearing her usual casual clothing to be perfectly honest. She's wearing a costume. A costume very reminiscent to her father, Peter Parker, would wear. And why is she wearing that? Well…

Mayday runs to the end of the rooftop and dives off, shooting out a web and pulling herself into the air.

Mayday Parker is known as The Amazing Spider-Girl!

Mayday swings through the city, looking for anything she can assist with.

~X~

_Later that night…_

Marcella and Lily Antonelli are both making dinner together in their house near Queens, New York.

Marcella: Oh wow! You're learning so quickly, my little kitten.

Lily giggles as Marcella ruffles her hair and kisses her cheek.

Lily: Thanks mama.

The two continue to watch the food network and make some food when Marcella hears a noise.

Marcella turns around to see someone stepping through the front door.

Gary: Honey...

Gary turns to them with an evil sneer, wearing nothing but slacks, holding a kitchen knife.

Gary: I'm home.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Chapter 6: The King of Kings

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 6.**

Mayday Parker is swinging through the city as Spider-Girl, running on a wall as she holds a web and leaps off, spinning through the air, flipping into a new web swing.

Mayday: Wooooohooooo!

Mayday leaps into the air when her spider sense goes off, sirens going off in the distance.

Mayday: Huh?

Mayday changes her course in mid-air, zipping down the street to Queens, near where her family's house is. She lands on a rooftop overlooking a house where there is a barricade of police cruisers, a crowd of civilians, and several police officers.

Mayday: Oh God… what happened?

Mayday leaps off the rooftop and is just able to clear it onto the house everyone is surrounding. She crawls down the roof and onto the back porch, where the glass door to outside is open.

Mayday: Hm…

Mayday drops down and silently moves into the house, looking around to see what had happened in her neighborhood, but it didn't take long for her to get to the living room and see the horrific scene.

Mayday: Oh my god…

Before her lay a giant circle with what looked to be two Rs back to back with a line in-between them. The drops of blood and streaks of it indicated that the corpses were once inside of that circle.

Mayday: _I know that symbol… it's… it's The Symbol of the Roman Empire's Gods. The Gods of Olympus._

She takes a deep breath to keep herself from throwing up as she scurried back onto the house rooftop.

Mayday: I.. I…

Mayday looks down to see two corpses being pulled into a van. One looked to be a small child and the other a full-grown woman.

Mayday dropped down into the bushes to listen to two police officers.

Policeman: Jesus. I knew the family well. Just went through the divorce. Didn't think little Lily Antonelli would wind up like… like…

Officer: Yeah. I know. Marcella was never really kind to a lot of people, to be honest, but Lily was such a sweetheart. The world's fucking cruel, isn't it?

Mayday: _Marcella and Lily Antonelli… wait… don't we have a teacher at our school named… Gary Antonelli?_

Policeman: One of us is going to have to notify the ex-husband about what happened. Name's Gary.

Mayday: _Oh My God!_

Officer: Shit. How's he gonna take that?

Mayday then leaps out of the bushes and swings away before anyone notices her, her stomach nearly emptying itself as she does. She's… she's never seen a dead body before. And not one like that.

Mayday: _Roman Symbol of the Gods… Doesn't Mr. Antonelli teach Roman Civilization?_

Mayday's eyes widen under her mask.

Mayday: _Could… could he be…? Oh man. Oh God._

~X~

_The Next Day, Saturday…_

Claire hears a knocking at her door just as she is looking at her new costume. She opens the door and Mayday barges in.

Claire: Whoa! What's up?

Mayday: I have some big, big news…

Claire: What?

Mayday: Um… well… did you hear about how Gary Antonelli's family was killed yesterday?

Claire: I did, yeah. Why?

Mayday: I think… I think Gary did it.

Claire's eyes bulge slightly.

Claire: Wh-what!? That… what?

Mayday: They just went through a divorce and Gary hasn't been seen since yesterday evening and people were saying that they heard him saying he would go and find his family… I think he did it.

Claire: Holy shit… how did you find out about that?

Mayday: Um, well…

Mayday thinks for a few seconds.

Mayday: Okay… Okay, I'll tell you but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Seriously. Promise me.

Claire: Yeah I promise.

Mayday: Um…

Mayday takes a deep breath.

Mayday: For the last three months… well, I've been Spider-Girl.

Claire chuckles, Mayday expected this, so she leaps up and clings to the wall above her.

Claire: Oh… oh my god. You actually are her.

Mayday drops down.

Mayday: Yeah.

Claire: I also have a confession, then.

Mayday: What?

Claire: I have powers too. Um… frog powers.

Mayday smirks a little.

Claire: It's not funny! They're pretty cool…

Mayday: Well what are they?

Claire: I can jump… really, really high. I can also see in 270-degree vision also night vision of some sort. Super strength and super speed. And uh… I can also cling to walls.

Mayday: What does 270-degree vision mean?

Claire: I can see around myself, just not directly behind.

Mayday: Oh wow. How?

Claire: I'unno. But I think it's cool. And check this…

Claire walks over to her desk and takes out her new green and black costume modeled after the Spider-Man Ends of the Earth suit.

Claire: It's my new costume.

Mayday: You were going to become a vigilante?

Claire: My parents were… and I have powers now. So it's my responsibility to.

Mayday: Heh. My dad says a similar thing. With great power, comes great responsibility. It's kinda corny though.

Claire: Yeah. So… what are we going to do about this?

Mayday: We?

Claire: Yeah, we! You've involved me now. And I have powers! I can take care of myself.

Mayday: I don't know, Claire. You're new at this and-

Claire: So are you! You just have a few months on me.

Mayday: I don't want you to get hurt or anything.

Claire: As I said, I'm a capable woman. I'll take care of myself.

Mayday: You sure?

Claire: Positive.

Mayday: Fine then. Well… we have to find Gary Antonelli and question him.

Claire: Let's split up and check the school first.

Mayday: Sounds good.

Claire: I guess I'll suit up.

Mayday: Me too.

~X~

Dani was looking around for Hunter, in the mood for bugging him some more. She had taken a liking to him since she got to know him. He doesn't know how to take a joke.

Dani: Um…

Dani looks around, not knowing where he was. So she just decided to head to the library. That's where he went yesterday, it must be where he likes to hang out.

?: Hello sweetheart.

Dani turns around to see Gary Antonelli, however, this time, he's completely shirtless and half of his body is covered in blood.

Dani: Oh God. What happened-

Gary: This old thing? Nah. Doesn't matter. What matters is that we should head to my office. I've already cleared everything off the desk.

Dani: The hell are you talking about? Get the hell away from me!

Gary: Hmhmhm… I thought you'd say that. I can't wait to see you struggle.

~X~

Hunter is in a corner of the library by himself, finally having gotten away from Dani and her incessant hounding of him.

Hunter: Hrm…

Hunter was reading a book called 'The Prince' by Machiavelli. It was a sarcastic piece on the current royal family of Italy during the time that Niccolo Machiavelli lived. Great book, really.

Dani: Hunter!

Hunter rolls his eyes at her voice, closing the book and standing up as she comes running, breathing hard and looking ragged.

Hunter: What is it?

Dani: Mr. Antonelli. He tried to… I don't know what he tried. But I was able to knock him off me and I came here to find you. I need to get away from him.

Hunter: Shit. All right, stay here. I'll check outside. If I don't come back, call the police, all right?

Dani: Are you sure? I can-

Hunter: Just stay. It'd be better if I go alone.

Dani: Okay…

Hunter walks off.

Dani: _Look at me. I have super powers and I'm a damn wuss. Dammit._

~X~

Hunter walks out of the library, looking around to see if he can find Gary.

Hunter: Mr. Antonelli? Come out! Now!

Hunter looks around, but he's unable to find him.

Hunter: Come on. Don't make this hard.

And then suddenly, Hunter sees someone rush into the storage closet and shut the door behind him.

Hunter: Got you.

Hunter runs over and whips open the door, entering the room.

Hunter: Mr. Ant-

He then realizes… he's not there.

And that's when the door shuts behind him.

Hunter: Holy… where the hell?

Hunter turns from the door to the room and sees Gary Antonelli materialize in front of him. He's still covered in splatters of his family's blood. His now lean body is now completely muscular.

Gary: Hello Hunter.

Hunter: Mr. Antonelli? What the hell happened to you…?

Gary: I have been reborn. I have become more than human. I have become a God!

Hunter: What? All right, let me out of the room. I'm calling the damn cops.

Gary: Oh don't worry. I have no doubt they'll be here by the end of the day.

Hunter: What do you-

Faster than any man he has ever seen move, Gary grabs Hunter by the neck and lifts him into the air.

Hunter: G-Gary…

Gary: That's no longer my name, Hunter. I have cut ties to the mortal world.

Gary rears back and hurls Hunter through the door and out the window, onto the main courtyard field below.

Gary: I am Romulus! King of Kings!

Suddenly, Gary begins to transform. He leaps from the school, landing on the field, now wearing elaborate gold and black armor with a helmet similar to a Spartan's. He wears a cape made of wolf's fur on his back, his hands and feet clawed, and his eyes are blood red.

Romulus: And now the world will bow to my wrath!

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Chapter 7: The First of Many

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 7.**

Romulus, The King of Kings, is standing in the field across from Hunter.

Hunter: Mr. Antonelli… I… holy shit…

Romulus walks from side to side, his face shadowed by his helmet.

Romulus: Ah. I see. You are a Starspawn.

Hunter: Huh? H-how did you know about that?

Romulus: I know a lot of things now, Hunter. More than I could have ever imagined.

Romulus chuckles.

Romulus: And now, my subjects shall return to me. And we shall take this city, then the country, then world by storm! And rebuild The Dark Empire!

Hunter: You're fucking insane…

Romulus: Am I? Maybe. And maybe that's why I have the advantage!

Romulus then begins to raise his hands.

Romulus: Rise my subjects… Rise, Sons of Rome!

And suddenly, all across the state of New York, it started slowly at first, but corpses began to rise out of their graves and make towards Manhattan. People run screaming from the corpses and cops try to mow them down with guns.

Hunter: What did you just do?

Romulus: I brought my subjects back to life. I can control any dead person with a Roman Bloodline. And coincidentally, that's most of America.

Hunter: Jesus Christ…

Romulus: Do not be troubled, Hunter. I have no intention of destroying the humans. At least not at first. I need them for labor.

Hunter: I…

Romulus: What? Do you want to stop me? Is that it? Come, then. Co-

Suddenly, something knocks Romulus in the back, causing him to bend over.

Romulus: Who dares strike my magnificence?

Romulus turns to see Dani standing at the opening he made in the hallway.

Dani: That would be me, creep.

Romulus makes a wolf-like growl as Dani spins around in a kick, shooting razor wind down at Romulus. He is knocked back by it once again, but he lunges up then, grabbing her neck and hurling her towards the ground.

Dani: Agh!

Dani is about to hit the ground when…

?: Whoa! Hey there!

Mayday, in her costume, swings down low and scoops Dani into the crook of her arm.

Mayday: Gotcha.

Mayday lands on top of the building, setting Dani down.

Dani: Holy shit. Mayday is Spider-Girl?

Mayday: That obvious? Wait, but when did you get superpowers?

Dani: I have two superpowered parents. I was bound to get something.

Mayday: Right, well-

Romulus growls, then sticks his hand out, creating a dark red lightning bolt surrounded by black smoke and hurls it at the two.

Dani: Whoa!

Dani is hit by the explosion, but glides to the ground instead of falling, letting her survive, while Mayday front flips off of the building, dodging the explosion by a hair.

But as Romulus finishes firing the bolt, he turns around to get two feet thrust into his face with great force, causing him to fly back and land on his feet. The girl backflips to a crouching position. It's Claire in her new costume.

Claire: Look at us, we look for a schoolteacher and we come upon a cosplayer. Some world we live in.

Romulus: Rrrghhh… insects.

Romulus bursts forward and shoulder checks Claire through the air, knocking her into a light post, bending it.

Romulus: You think you can stop me? Ha! Ha!

Claire gets to her knees.

Claire: Ugh… for the first time getting hit… it really wasn't an easy one, was it…?

Claire then collapses. Romulus looks around at the opponents and spots Hunter.

Romulus: Starspawn… show me your strength! I will make an example out of you to let all know that I am their ruler.

Romulus stomps on the ground hard, causing the ground to rumble enough to have Hunter fall to his knees, and is hit with a dark lightning bolt.

Romulus: Why do you hold back? Fight me! Fight!

He continues to hurl lightning bolts, but for some reason, they are not doing as much damage as he would hope.

Hunter: Hrrghh…

The ring around Hunter's eyes turns bright red and his pupil turns white. He raises his fists above him.

Hunter: RRRRAAAARRGHHHH!

Hunter slams his fists into the ground and a dark shockwave of energy is shot out and tendrils made of darkness shoot out from the ground everywhere, knocking Romulus back into a wall. Hunter gets to his feet, four tendrils coming from his back. He now has claws, spiked elbows, and is giving off a green aura.

Romulus: This is no ordinary Starspawn…

Romulus climbs out of the crater in the wall.

Romulus: You are an emissary.

Hunter: You wanted a fight…

Hunter lunges forward, baring his fangs.

Hunter: You got one!

Romulus: Ah… no. Not yet.

Romulus stomps on the ground hard enough for a pillar of some kind to shoot up, knocking hunter into the air mid-lunge.

Romulus: I must address my subjects.

Romulus crouches down low and leaps into the air, flying far past the school and toward Manhattan, leaving the group in disarray.

Mayday: Oh god…

Mayday begins to get everyone in one area and grabs a first aid kit from her room, attempting to mend the wounds of her friends.

And just then, Chase Steele walks calmly out from his dorm room, and onto the field, staring at where Romulus had jumped. He has his usual smoke in his mouth, wearing a leather jacket and casual clothes, and of course, his sunglasses are on.

Chase: Hrm…

Chase takes the cigarette out and mashes it on the pillar of ground used to hurt Hunter, and walks off the field.

Mayday: Aren't you going to help!?

Chase: No, I'm preoccupied with something.

Mayday: What could possibly be more important?

Chase walks right out onto the parking lot and sits on a teacher's motorbike, beginning to hotwire it.

Chase: Dethroning a king.

Chase revs the motorcycle and turns it around, riding it out of schoolgrounds and towards Manhattan.

**To Be Continued…**


	8. Chapter 8: Dethroning a King

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 8.**

News Caster: Breaking news! Dead people are rising from the grave! Zombies have come to New York!

Several pictures of the undead are shown.

News Caster: If you find yourself coming across these undead, stay indoors, as they are not known to have gone indoors as of yet. The police and military are doing their best to control the situation. Many reports of heroes arriving on the scene have come through.

We wonder who will show up next…

~X~

Romulus lands on The Daily Bugle building in New York City after taking several huge leaps. He stands tall as corpses upon corpses fill the streets of New York.

Romulus: Hmhmhm…

Romulus chuckles slightly as he sees all of his 'subjects' at attention, looking up at him for purpose in a world they were not meant to be in.

Romulus: My people!

Romulus gestures out to all of them.

Romulus: Last night, Gary Antonelli was murdered. By his own hand. By his own blood. And this morning I was reborn into his being. I am Romulus! King of Kings! Conqueror of Conquerors! And The Emperor of The Dark Empire!

A cheer that sounds more like a roar erupts from the undead.

Romulus: You all have one goal, my subjects… Raze this city to the ground with everyone in it! Destroy the entire world!

The undead start to spring into action when they all hear something. They all turn their heads and make a path for Chase Steele riding in on a motorbike. He gets to a place where he can see Romulus clearly and parks, revving the engine a few times.

Romulus: Mortal… you dare intrude on my address to the empire?

Chase: Yeah.

Chase takes the keys out of the engine and steps off of it, lighting yet another cigarette.

Romulus: What is it that you want?

Chase: A fight, of course.

Romulus gives a thundering laugh.

Romulus: A mere mortal wishes to fight a God?

Chase: No. I'd like to fight the scrawny schoolteacher who's cosplaying as a God.

Romulus leaps from The Daily Bugle, landing in the large space that should serve as an arena for a match, the undead surrounding them.

Romulus: Do you realize I could crush your neck with one hand? With one accidental twist?

Chase: Why don't you?

Romulus: I don't need to waste my time on mortals!

Chase: Then walk away.

Romulus growls in Chase's face. Chase pulls the cigarette from his mouth and blows smoke into his, then puts it back in his mouth.

Chase: Do you want to fight or not, gramps?

Romulus: Hnh. I shall indulge the mortal in a duel. To the death.

Chase: Wouldn't want it any other way.

Romulus takes a few steps back and Chase is able to move his motorcycle to the sidewalk.

Romulus: The duel begins now.

Romulus charges at Chase with blinding speed, but somehow, Chase leaps into the air and steps off of Romulus' helmet, landing in a roll behind him.

Romulus: How…?

Romulus takes a long hard look at Chase.

Romulus: You have an energy about you… a power I don't understand. It transcends logic!

Chase: I have been called the Embodiment of Badassery.

Romulus: Badass…? Your power is being badass?

Chase: Pretty much.

Romulus: This is foolish!

Romulus charges again, attempting to strike Chase, and does so, hitting him into the sidewalk nearby.

Chase: Agh…

Chase gets up and stretches.

Chase: That hurt.

Romulus: That shot would kill a man…

Chase: I'm also known for being pretty hard to keep down.

Chase grabs a piece of rebar from the ground and spins it around in his hand. He grabs it as if it were a baton.

Chase: This'll do. Let's go.

Chase sprints forward to meet Romulus' charging punch, allowing him to hit the bar, following its momentum to spin the weapon around and strike Romulus from the back, and hitting him with his own force.

Romulus: YARGHH!

Romulus backhands Chase and hits him to the ground, but as he tries to attack, Chase kips up into Romulus and jams the bar into his helmet, turning it sharply to the right.

Romulus: Rgh! My eye!

Romulus closes it for a moment while it heals up, but before it can, Chase rears back and leaps forward, superman punching the bar into Romulus' eye.

Romulus: Agh!

Romulus roars as he rips out the piece of bar and throws it randomly, catching Chase on the side.

Chase: Gah…

Chase grabs his side and finds that he is now bleeding from there.

Chase: Well. You got one on me.

Romulus charges forward and grabs Chase, throwing him in the air.

Chase: Rgh…

Chase spits the cigarette out and it lands in Romulus' bad eye.

Romulus: Aarrrragghhh!

Romulus lessens his grip on Chase, prompting the badass one to drop to a crouch and roll towards a fire hydrant.

Romulus: I will murder you slowly!

Chase: Then fucking do it and stop talking about it!

Romulus runs at Chase once again and throws a punch, but Chase is just able to jump out of its reach, the first blasting through the fire hydrant he was next to, the water shooting out at 1500 gallons per minute

Romulus gets away from the fire hydrant to find Chase still on the sidewalk.

Romulus: Burn in Tartarus!

Romulus tries to summon a dark lightning bolt, but ends up electrocuting himself with his own power because of the water covering him and his armor.

Romulus: AAAGHH!

Romulus finally comes down from the pain, turning to where he thought Chase was.

Romulus: Huh-

Suddenly, Chase rides in with his motorcycle, leaping off of it as it smashes into Romulus, rolling through a window in the process.

Romulus: GRGH!

Romulus smashes through a store and the engine explodes, causing the place to be lit on fire.

Chase: Agh…

Chase climbs out from the broken window and wipes the glass off of him, a few cuts here and there.

Chase: Well. That went surprisingly well.

And just then, the remains of the motorcycle engine are hurled into Chase, knocking him into the middle of the street.

That blow hit him particularly hard and he's finding trouble in moving. His sunglasses are now cracked and skewed.

Chase: Gah-goddamn it…

Romulus, now in slightly scratched armor, stands over him, breathing heavily in rage.

Romulus: You fought well. Your father would be proud.

Chase leans up slightly and spits at Romulus.

Romulus: Heh. Now die with shame in your heart.

Romulus brings back his fist and-

**THWAP!**

And he finds he can't bring it down easily. He's able to tear the web from his hand, but doesn't hit Chase.

Romulus: Who dares interrupt-

**THWAP!**

Romulus' mouth is webbed then as he looks onto the wall, seeing The Amazing Spider-Man standing above him, fists clenched, ready to fight.

Spider-Man: Daddy's home.

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Chapter 9: Fixing All of This

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 9.**

Romulus rips the web off of his mouth and snarls at Spider-Man who is staring right back.

Romulus: Foolish old man.

Spider-Man: Old? I'm in my mid-thirties!

Romulus leaps up to grab Spider-Man, but he just leaps off of his back.

Spider-Man: Oh no, no, no!

Spider-Man turns around in the air and webs Romulus, pulling him towards him.

Spider-Man: You need a nap, big boy!

Spider-Man pulls him in and then thrusts his legs down, throwing him hard into the ground.

Spider-Man: And I'll be happy to tuck you in!

Romulus tries to get up, but Spider-Man lands right on top of him, back flipping off. He then webs a large piece of debris, swinging it around.

Spider-Man: Nighty night!

Spider-Man brings the piece of debris down on Romulus hard. And the whole place is silent for a moment.

Romulus: That…

Romulus pushes himself out of the debris.

Romulus: Hurt.

Spider-Man: Well-

And then, Spider-Man catches the eyes of two of the undead in the crowd. He stops straight in his tracks.

Spider-Man: U-Uncle Ben? …Aunt May…? Oh m-

Romulus hurls a large dark lightning bolt at Spider-Man who isn't able to dodge in time, getting blown back into the Daily Bugle. Spider-Man tries to shake off his shock.

Spider-Man: Oofh… twenty years later and the Bugle is still trying to put me down…

He climbs out of it, but Romulus is quick to grab Spider-Man.

Romulus: Foolish bug. I will crush you.

?: Oh come on!

**THWIP THWAP THWIP!**

Three webs hit Romulus, one on both of his biceps and one on his helmet. Suddenly he is wrenched back, leaving Spider-Man to catch his breath. Romulus lands hard on the street, looking at the street in front of them.

And there, he sees Mayday, Claire, Ariel, Hunter, Dani, and Trevor, who was holding Chase up, coming through the crowd of undead.

Mayday: Spiders are arachnids! Not bugs!

Spider-Man: That's my girl…

Romulus: Fools! All of you! Fools!

Romulus raises his fist and slams it on the ground.

Romulus: Subjects! Raze this damned city!

The undead then begin to go ballistic, running all throughout the streets, attacking anything in site. And a large group begins to close in on the teens. They get ready to fight.

Trevor: Well… I kind of thought I'd go out like this.

?: Hey! Stand back!

Suddenly, several undead are taken out by a stylized American shield, blasts of energy, and several different shockwaves.

Claire: Who…?

The guys look up to see a team of teens jumping from The Quinjet. A girl wearing a female Captain America costume known as The American Dream, a small girl flying in similar to Antman named Sting, an android stylized to look like Iron Man known as Mainframe, a large blonde man wearing a red jumpsuit called Thunderstrike, and finally a huge man wearing a huge silver helmet and armor called J2.

American Dream: Avengers… Assemble!

Mayday: This is awesome…

The Avengers quickly go to work, attacking the zombies nearby.

American Dream: We'll hold them off! You guys go after Romulus!

Ariel: Wait… us?

American Dream: Yes you! Go!

The newfound team turns and runs towards Romulus.

Romulus: Die!

Romulus throws out two lightning bolts and the team both dodge it.

Mayday: Let's hit it with everything we got!

Hunter: Hrrryaaagh!

The team leaps in unison, the injured Chase throwing a piece of debris in his place, and they all get their attacks ready. Claire gets ready to kick, Mayday gets ready to punch, Ariel also gets ready to punch, Dani gets ready to slice him, Trevor is just throwing his body into Romulus, and Hunter is using all of his tendrils to fight.

Romulus: Hrrrrrrrghghhhh….

Romulus yells and brings back his arms, shooting out a large shockwave of energy to knock all of them back onto the ground. However, Dani is able to land perfectly on her feet, along with Claire.

Claire: You miserable, evil man!

Claire leaps forward and kicks Romulus straight in the head, but is batted away.

Romulus: I don't have time for measly beings such as frog women.

Dani is seething, her fists clenching.

Dani: you're trying to hurt all these people… my friends… my family… tried to do things to me…

Dani angrily breathes in.

Dani: I won't stand for it!

Suddenly, Dani screeches, a dark form enveloping her. She now has grey skin, black eyes, longer talons, white hair, fangs, and is slightly taller and more muscular.

Romulus: A dark form.

Dani: A gift from my father…

Dani lunges forward at incredible speed, kicking and swiping at the air, causing Razor Wind to shoot out at Romulus.

Romulus: Gah!

The wind cuts Romulus and his armor. Dani then speeds toward him, slicing at him and, finally leaps into the air, kicking Romulus away, having him land on the sidewalk near the Daily Bugle.

Romulus: Grrngh…

Romulus wipes the black blood from his lip.

Romulus: You little frigid bitch! You bled me!

Romulus leaps onto Dani and begins to pound her with fist after fist.

Romulus: No one makes me feel weak! No one can defeat me! I am a God! I am your God! I am-

Completely bloodied and broken, Dani gives off one final attack, a sonic scream she inherited from her mother.

Romulus: Agh!

Romulus grabs his helmet, trying to stop it from vibrating.

Hunter: Get the hell away from her!

Hunter charges at him and is able to go down low and propel himself with his tendrils into the air, tackling Romulus up and onto The Daily Bugle.

Romulus: Rrragh!

Romulus kicks Hunter in the face, knocking him back to the edge of the rooftop.

Romulus: It does not matter that you are a-

And suddenly, time stops. Hunter looks around to see that Trevor had been able to stop time down on the street.

Trevor: Go!

Hunter: Right.

Hunter sprints forward and before time goes back to normal, the spike on his elbow opens up and dark magic jet-propels his incredibly fast and strong punch.

Hunter: HRRRYAAGHH!

Time goes back to normal then.

Romulus: -re a Stars-

**KRAAKHOOOOM!**

The punch knocks Romulus into the building and he skids all the way till the edge, almost falling off.

Romulus: Hrrgh… damn you, Starspawn.

Romulus gets to his feet.

Romulus: Face my wrath!

Romulus raises his hands and green storm clouds move around overhead. They shoot down a fury of dark lightning bolts and fire, creating a vortex around The Daily Bugle. American Dream looks to the new vortex.

American Dream: We have to stop that!

Mayday: Our friend is in there!

Hunter is getting barraged by fire and electricity, reducing him to his hands and knees. He screams in agony as the storm continues.

Ariel: No…

Ariel runs over to the vortex.

Claire: Ariel! What are you doing!?

Ariel puts her hands out and a green energy envelops them.

Ariel: Please let this work…

Ariel then begins to reconstruct the daily bugle and the air around it.

Trevor: Oh wow…

Ariel: Yyeeerrrghhhh!

The vortex completely disappears and the damage to The Daily Bugle is done.

Ariel: Heesh…

Ariel collapses to one knee.

Claire immediately comes to her aid.

Claire: Are you okay?

Ariel: Y-yeah. I'm… I'm fine. And I think I know how to fix this. I need to get up to Hunter.

Back on the rooftop, Hunter gets to his feet, smoking from the fire and the electricity.

Romulus: How? How can you still survive?

Hunter: I don't stop. I won't stop. Not until you're lying at my feet.

Hunter then swipes a hand through the air and a tendril comes through the rooftop, striking Romulus, then another.

Hunter: Hrrrrgh….

Hunter brings up both hands and four tentacles at one attack Romulus, weakening him more and more.

Romulus: I… I won't submit, dog.

Hunter: Good. It wouldn't be as fun.

Hunter snarls and uses his tendrils to shoot forward, rearing back a punch and letting it go, striking Romulus with all of his force.

Romulus: Agh!

Romulus wavers for a moment, reaching out to Hunter who slaps his hand away.

Hunter: Pathetic.

Romulus: I…

Romulus falls onto his back, too weak to fight any longer. But suddenly Ariel and Claire burst through the door, Ariel being helped over to Romulus' body.

Hunter: What are you two doing?

Ariel: Fixing this.

Ariel kneels by Romulus and grabs either side of his head.

Romulus: Wh-what ar-are you…?

Ariel closes her eyes and concentrates, a glow emanating from her entire body. The glow begins to arise in all of the corpses as well, who begin to dissipate, returning to their graves.

American Dream: They've… stopped.

J2: Thank God.

American Dream: No, thank that girl up there.

Ariel continues to concentrate, using Romulus' control of the bodies to revert all the corpses to their original forms, dead in the ground.

And finally, when it's all over, Ariel collapses.

Hunter: Holy shit…

Romulus: N-no…

Romulus tries to awaken them, but is too weak to do so.

Romulus: I… I won't stand for this. Th-this was My Dark Empire! I was supposed to rule the Earth! It's mine! It's all mine! I am a God! I am your God!

Ariel turns her head up at this and stands up.

Ariel: Yeah? Well guess what, Romulus…

Ariel uses the last of her strength to stomp on Romulus' face, knocking him out.

Ariel: I'm an atheist, fuckface.

Ariel then falls unconscious. Hunter and Claire are barely able to catch them before she hits the ground. Mayday holding an unconscious Dani lands on the rooftop, Trevor, Chase, and The American Dream all run onto it. Dani is handed over to Hunter.

Hunter: Ariel… man, she saved everyone.

Claire: We all owe her our lives.

The three teens look up to see a helicopter incoming.

Hunter: We should go. Ariel and I both don't have masks on or anything.

Mayday: Right.

Hunter holds Dani tight as he leaps off the rooftop, using his dark magic to jet-propel himself through the city as if he were a squid in water, Mayday grabs Trevor and begins to swing through the city, Claire grabs Ariel and begins to leap back home, leaving The American Dream with Romulus.

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Chapter 10: But Whose Side Are They On?

**The Knights.  
****Volume 1.  
****Chapter 10.**

At Times Square, the wounded and the dead are being attended to by government employees. Detective Phillip DeWolff is on the scene, taking a look at the area around them.

Phillip: Hey…

An officer turns around after helping a civilian to a paramedic.

Officer: Yeah?

Phillip: Don't you find it a little… odd that there isn't any structural damage? No evidence of the undead ever being here despite all of us seeing them and many getting hurt by them?

Officer: I don't know. That Roman guy was controlling 'em. Maybe he told them not to destroy the city?

Phillip: But… but we know that isn't true. Some people had their houses broken into, but now they're fine…

Phillip rubs his chin.

Phillip: Something must have happened…

Officer: I'll let you think about it. I have work to do.

The officer goes back to attend to the wounded. Phillip looks around for a moment, talks off his jacket, and goes to help as well.

~X~

The Avengers are sitting in their tower in New York, now out of costume for the most part. The American Dream, Shannon Carter, is sitting in the lounge taking to Zane Yama, also known as J2.

Zane: Who were those guys, by the way?

Shannon: Those guys?

Zane: Yeah, you know, the other guys with powers there.

Shannon: Right… I don't know.

Zane: Well, at least they're on our side.

Zane stands up and walks to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Shannon: But are they…?

~X~

At this time, Dani, Hunter, Trevor, Chase, Claire, and Mayday are sitting around on the main school building rooftop, deciding to meet up after the Romulus incident.

Mayday: So…

Claire: We all have powers.

Chase: Eh… somewhat. I think I'm just lucky.

Claire: We all have powers, citation needed.

The group laughs.

Mayday: We all have powers and we just stopped a zombie invasion of New York led by a dude named Romulus.

Trevor: Yeah. Shit, yeah, we did.

Mayday: I don't think… well… how should I put this…

Ariel: I think we should all keep working together. We took down a huge menace, what else could we do if we stuck together and fought other crimes?

The group stays silent for a moment.

Hunter: I'm up for it.

They turn to him.

Claire: We don't know you all that well. What's your-

Dani: His name's Hunter. And he's got tentacles.

Hunter: I can introduce myself, thanks. My name's Hunter. And I've got tentacles.

The group all laugh again.

Dani: If he's in, I'm in too. Someone needs to bug him or he'd be a sourpuss all day.

Chase: Goes without saying, but I'm in. And Trevor is too.

Trevor: Wuh-?

Chase: Come on, bud. You're with us till the end.

Trevor: I… I guess so. Yeah. I'm in.

Claire: Then we're all in too.

Ariel: Yeah.

Mayday: Uhuh.

Chase: So then we're all in agreement. We're a team now. We're going to beat up the bad guys together.

Trevor: I'm looking forward to it.

Chase: But we all need names and then we need a team name. Okay, I'll start first.

Chase thinks for a moment.

Chase: Um… well, I don't know, I guess I am a Maverick. So call me Maverick.

Mayday: Isn't there another guy who was called that once?

Chase: Eh. I don't care. Maverick.

Mayday: Well, you guys already know I'm Spider-Girl.

Claire: And I'm… uh… The Frog-Girl Amphibia.

Chase: Frogger? All right. Frogger.

Claire: No! Amphibia!

Chase: Next.

Trevor: Well… I have time powers so… Cronus? He's the God of Time.

Chase: Wow. What a huge ego.

Trevor: I'm not saying-!

Chase: Next.

Hunter: I have tendrils and… I know where my powers come from. So I guess 'The Kraken' would be cool.

Chase: Best one yet. All right, Dani?

Dani: Um… I guess, if he's going with Kraken and he's going with Cronus, I'll go with The Siren.

Chase: And finally, our name.

Trevor: Well… we're kind of like… in a circle, speaking about fighting evil and things… maybe like The Knights of The Round Table?

Chase: Too long. No one will remember it.

Mayday: How about just 'The Knights'.

Hunter: Huh. I like that.

Ariel: I do too. I think all of us do.

Chase: So it's settled then. The Knights, led by Maverick.

Hunter: Whoa, who died and made you leader? I think Mayday should be the leader.

Mayday: I don't know, Chase is… well, he's kind of an idiot, but a smart idiot, if that makes any sense.

Chase: See?

Ariel: How about you both lead?

Mayday: What?

Ariel: Like a Co-Captain sort of thing. So in case people are divided on a decision, you guys can represent the different sides. Like Consuls in Rome.

Mayday: I like that.

Chase: Eh, sure. Fine.

Trevor: Well then… I think we need to head back to our dorms. It's getting late and curfew will set in a few minutes.

Claire: He's right. I'll see you all tomorrow.

The team dissipates until Chase and Mayday are sitting on the rooftop.

Mayday: Aren't you going?

Chase: Nah. I don't sleep too well.

Mayday: Oh. Well then what are you doing?

Chase: Thinking. A lot's happened.

Mayday: About?

Chase stays silent.

Chase: Do you like the stars, Mayday?

Mayday: Huh?

Chase: Do you?

Mayday: Uh… well, yeah.

Chase: I like them too. I want to go see the stars with my family one day.

Mayday: That sounds nice.

Chase: Yeah. Yeah it does.

Mayday, at one point, goes away, leaving Chase to smoke and look up at the night sky.

**To Be Continued in Volume 2...**


	11. Volume 2: Chapter 11: SolitaireNetflix

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 11.**

_One Month Later…_

Dani: Come on, you did it before, you can do it again!

Dani and Hunter are standing on a rooftop overlooking the city in New York.

Hunter: Yeah, I did it then because I had to! I don't know how to fly!

Dani smirks, standing behind him.

Dani: You know, I think you just need a bit of a push to get you there…

Hunter: What do you-

Dani then shoves Hunter off the building.

Hunter: FUCK!

Hunter begins his fall down several stories, seeing the ground close in on him.

Dani: Uh… uh oh.

Hunter: SHH-

Hunter then, with all his might, uses dark green smoke magic to stop himself from falling, swooping back up into the air as four tendrils extend out of the back of his body.

Hunter: -IIT!

Hunter is able to land on the rooftop where Dani is.

Dani: See! I told you that all you needed was a push!

Hunter scowls at her.

Dani: Uh… what are you doing?

Hunter walks over and grabs her, lifting her above his head.

Dani: Whoa! Hey! Hands off!

Hunter calmly walks over to the edge of the rooftop and tosses her off the edge of it. She takes it much more smoothly, repositioning herself mid-air into a smooth glide to the sidewalk below.

Hunter: Hrnh.

Hunter then grabs onto the edge of the roof, using his claws to climb down and land next to her.

Dani: You know, if you didn't know I had a hollow skeleton, you could have actually killed me, dickhead.

Hunter just stares at her.

Dani: You did know I had that, right?

Hunter walks past her and back towards the school, not answering her.

Dani: Wait… hey!

~X~

On the corner of a New York City Street, a drug deal is going down between two guys.

Drug Dealer: Look, man, it's $300. No less.

Man: Fuckin' ripping me off.

The man pulls out his wallet, takes a few more bills out, and hands it to the dealer.

Drug Dealer: Cool.

The drug dealer hands him the plastic bag filled with cocaine.

Drug Dealer: Have a good one. Oh, we still on for poker this Friday?

Man: Yeah, I-

And suddenly, someone swings into the drug dealer, knocking him out upon impact.

Man: Holy shit!

The person jumps up from the attack, revealing it to be Mayday Parker, Spider-Girl!

Mayday: Better be sugar in that bag, man, cause if not…

Mayday jumps back onto her hands and kicks her legs forward, knocking the guy out and catching the bag of cocaine with her feet.

Mayday: The boys in blue might have something to say about that.

Mayday tosses the bag up into the air with her feet, backflips into a crouch, and catches the bag, placing it down gently.

Mayday: Or in this case, the girl in red and blue.

Mayday chuckles.

Mayday: I crack myself up sometimes.

Mayday places the bag down and ties the two together, leaving a little note for the police.

Mayday: Ah, business is good as usual.

Mayday zips off into the New York Skyline.

~X~

Meanwhile…

Claire: Nghhh…

Claire groggily sits up, grabbing her head through her mask.

Claire: Wh-where…?

Claire then looks around and remembers the situation. A fire hydrant had been broken, a street light had fallen over, and there were skid marks over the pavement.

Claire: Oh. Right.

Claire had tried to stop a convenience store robbery, but it ended up with her yelling at them to put the beer down while they ran out and trying to grab onto the car, only for her to get smashed into a fire hydrant. It wasn't fun.

Claire: I should probably get tips from Mayday about this…

Claire scurries away, leaping incredible distances, from wall to wall, from building to building.

~X~

And of course, ever vigilant…

Chase is smoking and watching wrestling.

~X~

Ariel: No one asked me what my superhero name was…

Ariel is in her room, watching Netflix.

Ariel: It'll be cooler than all of theirs combined. Like… The Restorinator… nah… um…

Ariel grabs her knees as she watches Arrow.

Ariel: Restoration Girl… Repairgirl… The Repair-Lass. Reconstructa. Recona. Recola.

Ariel shakes her head.

Ariel: Come on… names should-

Ariel sees the main actor of Arrow who she once described as godlike in beauty. And then her name comes to her!

Ariel: I got it! Celestia! Super hype. Told me so. Best name ever.

Ariel looks around for a moment.

Ariel: Hm… I should go outside sometime…

~X~

Trevor really isn't doing much. He's trying to find out what he likes. And he wanted to try card games. So he asked Chase to play with him. And Chase told him to fuck off.

So he's playing solitaire.

~X~

In a dark room, two people are sitting across from each other. A larger man and a completely shadowed man in a suit.

Shadowed Man: So… we have a deal?

The large man nods his head once.

Shadowed Man: Good. Make sure to last a bit longer than you usually do. I want to see what these kids are capable of and if any of them can be a carrier.

The large man nods once more.

**To Be Continued…**


	12. Chapter 12: Fastball Screwjob

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 12.**

The seven of The Knights gathered in the biggest room of the team, Trevor's. They were all just hanging out, doing various things, socializing, and watching TV.

Ariel: So, I decided on my superhero name.

Chase: I knew it! I knew you'd take my Restorinator suggestion!

Ariel: What? No. I'm going to be Celestia.

Chase: Hah. Gaaaayyyyyy.

Ariel: Nice decade old reference.

Chase: Shut up, it's a good show.

Hunter: For the record, I'm a fan of the name.

Ariel: Oh. Thanks.

Hunter nods as he watches a sitcom on the TV, and Dani gives him a bit of an evil eye, but for some reason, the channel changes automatically to a breaking news report.

The Daily Bugle Channel Logo shows up.

The now older Betty Grant is on The Daily Bugle Channel, as the anchor.

Betty: Breaking News! A large purple and muscular man dubbed by the police 'The Brute', has been found attacking civilians near Central Park! All citizens are advised to steer clear of this metahuman incident until further notice.

The team look at each other, but Chase stands up first.

Chase: I'll meet you guys there. I'm the slowest out of all of you, so I'll get a headstart.

Claire: Don't you need to get on your costume?

Chase: Oh right.

Chase flips up his hood, turns away from the group, and turns around wearing aviator sunglasses that wrap around his head. He then wraps a bandana that has a skull mouth on it around the bottom half of his face.

Chase: There.

Claire: Seriously?

Chase: Seriously.

Trevor: Um… I need a ride.

Chase: Ah, shit. Fine. You can get on the back.

Trevor then goes and gets his costume on in his bathroom, coming out wearing grey torso tights, black pants, no gloves, and combat boots, but actually wearing a black scarf that goes around his mouth and nose, and its end nearly touches the ground.

Chase: Strider wannabe.

Trevor: Hey. It's cool.

Chase: Sure, man. Let's go.

Chase and Trevor out and a few minutes later, while everyone is getting ready, they all hear one rev of the motor and a motorcycle riding off into the distance.

Hunter: Shit, we need to catch up.

Hunter opens up his bag and pulls out a briefcase with an eye symbol on it.

Dani: When'd you get that?

Hunter: Found it in my room a few days ago.

Hunter pulls out a trenchcoat with a hood on it, puts it on, and flips up the hood, magically shadowing his face completely from view. He also pulls out a large book and tucks it into one of the coat compartments.

Ariel: Won't that be annoying to have in your coat?

Hunter: It seems to be a magic coat, cause the items I put in there disappear when I actually put it in there.

Ariel: Huh.

Dani gets on her new costume as well. She is wearing a grey half mask that is pointed at the end with completely whited out eyes, a form-fitting grey and purple sleeveless top, purple gloves, grey tights, and purple boots.

Dani: There.

Hunter: Right. I'll get Dani and I there. You guys can catch up with us and Chase.

Hunter opens the window of Trevor's room, grabs Dani with one arm, and launches out of there. Claire is already in her costume.

Claire: Okay, I'll try and get there as fast as possible.

Claire leaps out of the window and bounds off. Mayday has gotten into her costume and looks at Ariel, who is looking around nervously.

Mayday: What's up?

Ariel: I… I don't have a costume.

Mayday: What?

Ariel: I thought everyone was going to get costumes together… uh…

Ariel looks around for a moment and Mayday is able to think up a solution.

Mayday: Give me one second.

Mayday runs out of Trevor's room and a minute later, comes back with a light green mask, light green boots, and light green gloves.

Mayday: I washed these in with some other clothes, so they turned out like this. And I never modified this mask to look like mine, so it's just two slits for eyes.

Ariel looks at them for a second and then puts them on. On that day, she was wearing a white long sleeved shirt and faded grey jeans.

Ariel: How do I look?

Mayday: Great. Let's go!

Mayday grabs onto Ariel and swings out of the school campus.

~X~

The Brute, near Central Park, is going on a rampage, turning cars over with large swipes, throwing large objects, and scaring off innocent people.

Brute: GAAARRGHH!

The Brute looks up to see a Daily Bugle Channel helicopter with a reporter and camera crew inside. He then grabs one of the trees next to him, rips it right out of the ground, and hurls it at the helicopter.

Reporter: Oh n-

Hunter flies into the area, dropping Dani as he shoots right through the incoming tree, breaking it into four pieces, but his four tendrils smash into them, causing those pieces to scatter across the area.

Hunter: Are you people all right?

Reporter: Uh… yes. Who're you…? Tentacle Man?

Hunter: The Kraken-

Dani: Uh… Hey! Help!

Hunter looks down to see that the nine foot tall Brute has grabbed ahold of Dani, squeezing her with both hands.

Hunter: Shit!

Hunter is about to go help, but suddenly, Chase on his motorcycle bursts out of Central Park, parking quickly, but using the momentum of the sudden parking to launch himself out of his seat, corkscrewing in the air and punching The Brute straight in the jaw, causing him to let go of Dani.

Brute: Gah!

Dani helps Chase to his feet and sends several blasts of razor wind at the large purple man, giving him fine gashes. The Brute angrily grabs at his new wounds.

Brute: I will destroy you! Damn you!

Chase: The Brute can talk?

The Brute immediately swipes at Chase, knocking him into a car.

Brute: Yeah. Yeah he can.

And just as The Brute goes in to follow it up, Claire attacks him with a flying dropkick, knocking him straight out onto the floor with her extremely powerful legs.

Claire: Hey guys!

Claire looks and sees Chase getting up from the attack.

Claire: Wait… where's Trevor?

The Brute gets up and launches himself at Claire, but suddenly everything stops moving. The team, who can still move, watch as someone zips through Brute several times over. Finally, Trevor ends up next to Claire in a crouched position, time continuing to go normally only for The Brute to fall to the ground.

Trevor: Here.

Claire: Whoa.

It's at that point that The Brute, gets to his feet, roaring and grabbing a nearby car, hurling it at the team.

Chase: Oh come on…

Chase and Hunter are both hit by the car, but as The Brute throws another one at Trevor and Claire, Mayday swings in and throws Ariel forward.

Mayday: Go!

Ariel: Ahhh!

Ariel, on instinct, activates her powers and causes the car to revert back to the position it once was in. As she finishes that, she hits the sidewalk, grabbing her head.

Ariel: You could've just held onto me as I did that…

Mayday: It was way cooler that way!

Mayday grabs the car on top of Hunter and Chase and is able, with some help from Claire, lift it above her head and toss it away, helping the two to their feet.

Dani: Are you okay, Hunter?

Hunter: Fine.

Chase: I'm good too, thanks.

The team forms a group, turning to the now humiliated and enraged Brute.

Brute: Damn you! DAMN YOU!

Mayday: Hey Dani?

Dani: Yeah?

Mayday: I'm going to try something I once saw my Dad do with Wolverine on you.

Dani: Oka-wait what?

Mayday webs Dani's body and begins to spin her around.

Dani: Wh-WHOOOAAHHHH!

Dani gets spun faster and faster…

Mayday: Fastball Special!

Dani is flung toward The Brute and she puts out her claws as a way to protect herself.

Dani: Agh!

The Brute braces himself for the incoming attack…

But Dani flies right by, hitting a car down the street's bumper.

Mayday: Ooof. Maybe I shouldn't have tested it out on the field.

Hunter: Dani!

Hunter flies right past The Brute and goes to attend to his friend.

Chase: Well. There goes our muscle.

Mayday: Hey! I'm muscle!

Chase: Whatever, sure. You're muscle.

Mayday: Muscle!

Mayday webs a lightpost and whips it at The Brute, but he just grabs it in one hand as it comes toward him, crushing it.

Mayday: Hm. He's bigger muscle.

Chase: Oh for fuck's sake… Claire, try to attract his attention, use some of your kicks.

Claire: Roger!

Claire leaps forward and over Brute, sliding under his legs as he tries to attack her.

Brute: Dammit… Hold still!

The Brute grabs ahold of Claire and slams her once into the ground, almost knocking her out.

Brute: Little piece of-

**VRROOM! VRROOM!**

Brute: Hm?

Suddenly, Chase, in one of the cars that a civilian abandoned, drives right into The Brute, pinning him to the floor. Mayday swings in and catches grabs Claire before there is any chance of her getting hurt.

Brute: Grrgh…

The Brute snarls at Mayday who had just let down Claire.

Mayday: Such language!

Ariel looks to the weakened Brute and tries to get him to revert to his natural form, but is unable to.

Ariel: Well…

Ariel picks up a detached bumper and whacks him over the head with it, knocking the weakened Brute out.

Ariel: That'll do.

Hunter comes back with a now unconscious Dani, holding her in his arms. The group gathers around The Brute, looking at him. Chase then turns his attention to Claire.

Chase: You had one job.

Chase shakes his head and gets on his motorcycle, driving off. The group eventually starts to head back home.

~X~

_Later That Night…_

Shannon and Zane are watching television and The Knights' fight with The Brute.

Shannon: Jesus Christ…

Shannon pinches the bridge of her nose.

Shannon: They're complete amateurs.

Zane: Aw, give 'em a break. It's their second time fighting a super villain.

Shannon: And they completely screwed it up! Look at the property damage!

Zane: Hey, we were like that once. I seem to remember a certain Captain America wannabe wanting to join our group, and we were all worried she was too-

Shannon: Oh fine. You've made your point. But they need a teacher of some kind. A mentor. Like we had.

Zane: Hopefully they'll learn.

~X~

On a rooftop nearby the Avengers tower, a dark figure is listening in on the conversation between Shannon and Zane using a communicator patched into their security system.

_Shannon: Oh fine. You've made your point. But they need a teacher of some kind. A mentor. Like we had._

_Zane: Hopefully they'll learn._

The dark figure begins to chuckle as he turns off his communicator.

Dark Figure: Well…

The dark figure stands up, revealing himself to be the Masked Mercenary With a Mouth, Deadpool!

Deadpool: It's a great thing that a spot just opened up under my wing!

**To Be Continued…**


	13. Chapter 13: Lightning Strikes Twice

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 13.**

In a laboratory in the heart of New York City, the shadowed man that had hired The Brute was in an observatory room when two scientists approached him. One had the nametag of Serena Octavius while the other one had the nametag of John Monsen.

Serena: Sir?

The shadowed man turned to them silently.

Serena: We did the tests like you asked, they worked as planned. The subject is now responding to the technological grid of New York as is desired.

John: The results were absolutely spectacular, Sir. Beyond expectations.

The shadowed man nods.

Shadowed Man: Good. Very good, you two. And I have good news in turn.

John: Really?

Shadowed Man: Yes. We will be field-testing Subject TS-1 shortly this evening.

Serena: You have found a carrier? Brilliant! Who?

The shadowed man goes to a nearby console and uses the touchscreen to display video footage.

Serena: Wait… hold on, are you sure it would be wise to use this… person? Of all people?

Shadowed Man: Of course. Our client wants this field-tested. And who better to use it than a familiar face?

John: Of course, of course Sir! I could not be more thrilled.

Shadowed Man: At exactly 6:00 this evening set the coordinates and DNA sample and release it. Dr. Monsen, Dr. Octavius, you two will be keeping track of the subject and its evolution.

Serena: How?

Shadowed Man: We have our ways, Miss Octavius.

Serena: O-Of course Sir.

The shadowed man finally steps out from the shadows, revealing Harold Osborn, the current CEO and chairman of the board of Alchemax, formerly The Oscorp-Alchemax Corporation.

Harold: Now get to it, Doctors. We have a lot of work to do.

The two doctors make their way out of the observatory room and he looks up to the monitors, seeing video footage of Mayday Parker playing.

Harold: Hmhm. _Uncle Osborn has a present for you, young lady. And it comes with shipping and handling._

Harold gets an incoming call on his cellphone and picks it up.

Harold: Liz? Oh hello. Yes, yes I am aware Normie is coming over this weekend… Yes, I know I missed his graduation from college, but I have a gift for him. He'll love it, I swear.

Harold smiles.

Harold: Thank you, honey. I'll see you at home.

Harold hangs up the phone and walks out of the room.

~X~

_Later, at 6:00 PM…_

Serena and John are both at their stations, ready to release the subject out into the world.

Serena: Are we sure about this, John?

John: Why wouldn't we be?

Serena thinks for a moment.

Serena: The last time something like this happened, it did not go well.

John: I am aware. But we are at the helm of this, Serena. And we don't fail.

Serena: Right. Of course.

Serena presses a few buttons.

Serena: Releasing the subject in five…

John: Four…

Serena: Three…

John: Two…

Serena: One.

John and Serena both pull a lever of some sort and a loud releasing of air occurs and a compartment to the outside world opens through the subject's cell. They give it about a minute and they close the compartment.

Serena: God, I hope we're right about this.

~X~

_Later That Night…_

In the dark hallways of the boy's dormitory, a boy wearing a hooded sweatshirt is walking back to his room, holding a small bag of something.

He is quiet and does not speak, but is moving quite quickly with his walk. As if trying to be subtle, but wants to get to wherever he's going badly so he doesn't get caught.

Finally, he reaches his room, opens the door with his key, and closes it. He takes several deep breaths before pulling off his hood, revealing it to be Cedric Macendale.

Cedric: Finally...

Cedric walks over to his desk.

Cedric: I'm home sweetheart…

Cedric kneels down at his desk and pulls out the item out of the bag. It's actually a tank top that had been used recently. He put it on the desk.

Cedric: See? That's yours.

Cedric looks excitedly at the thing on his desk, which is revealed to be a shrine surrounded by dim candles. A shrine with random pictures of Ariel Sofen on them. He takes one of the pictures, pulls it in close, and kisses it.

Cedric: In a few days, when I get my courage up, I'm going to ask you out for real. Then we can live… happily… ever… after…

~X~

Outside the school campus, in the forest surrounding the school, a man wearing a hiker's outfit over his tights is looking out onto Jacobson High.

Man: This is going to be glorious, I'll tell you.

That man, holding a sleeping bag, a tent, and two backpacks filled with different things, and is wearing a spiffy brown pith helmet, is revealed to be Deadpool.

Deadpool: I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see I'm going to be their mentor.

Deadpool throws everything down onto the floor.

Deadpool: It'll be so fuckin' awesome. Like, when they're all like 'Oh my god, Deadpool, I've always had really confusing wet dreams about you'…

Deadpool looks through the tent setup instructions.

Deadpool: And then I'll be like 'I know, I did too for a while'…

He then grabs his hammer and starts getting to work on it.

Deadpool: And then they'll go 'Oh my god, you're like, so relatable, do you want to have like, super hot sex?' and then I'll go 'Oh, I couldn't.' Then they'll say, 'I insist, really' and then I'll go 'Well, all right, but one of you at a time girls. And the guys can only watch' and then they'll go 'Oh look at my super master mentor Deadpool, he's so cool!'

Deadpool nods satisfactorily.

Deadpool: Yeah. Exactly like that. Just wait.

**To Be Continued…**


	14. Chapter 14: Deadpool's Boy!

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 14.**

Trevor was waking up from a long and nice sleep on a weekend when he gets a call. He expects it to be Matt King, but surprisingly, it's a number he doesn't recognize.

Trevor: Uh… hello?

On the other line, someone clears their throat.

Chase: Hey Trevor.

Trevor: Oh! Chase! Hey.

Chase: Hey. Have you uh… have you been boning Ariel?

Trevor: Uh… wh-what? No. No I haven't.

Chase: I didn't think you were either, see-

Trevor: Wait… hey!

Chase: Don't interrupt me! Now, anyway, uh… see… well… wow, this is kind of hard to explain.

Trevor: What?

Chase: We lost Ariel.

Trevor frowns for a moment.

Trevor: How did you lose a person?

Chase: We just… kinda did. We were all having a meeting about what we could do to improve when-

Trevor: Wait, why wasn't I invited?

Chase: Did I not send you the e-vite? Shit. Knew I didn't send it to someone. Anyway, well, we have been looking for her everywhere since she's not in her room, Claire checked.

Trevor: Well… do you have any ideas?

Chase: Well, on my door I found a note.

Trevor: What does it say?

Chase: Well, it says 'Meet me in the forest if you want to find your friend – D'.

Trevor pinches his nose.

Chase: Trevor?

Trevor: So… you didn't tell this to the others, did you?

Chase: Nope. Just found it.

Trevor: So, you didn't think of… I don't know… checking the forest outside?

Chase: See, that's why I'm calling…

Trevor: What?

Chase: I uh… well… see, I'm… I don't like Ents.

Trevor: …What?

Chase: If a tree came to life, I'd shit my pants. So, I don't go into forests.

Trevor: You're scared… of trees?

Chase: No, Ents. Do you know what Ents are? Of course you don't. Ents are living trees in Lord of the Rings.

Trevor: So… you're scared of something that… doesn't exist?

Chase: Hey man, you don't know. You can control time and shit, Mayday can stick to stuff, Claire's literally a living Frogger, and we fought a dude who cosplayed as a Roman God. It's not really far off to think that trees could walk for a little while.

Trevor: …Good point.

Chase: See? So come on. You and I are going into the forest.

Trevor: We're getting everyone else too.

Chase: No.

Trevor: What do you mean no?

Chase: I… I might get jumpy, I don't want them to see me-

Trevor: Oh whatever. Meet me outside, I'm calling the others.

Chase: If you do that, I'm gonna poke you really hard in the throat. It's gonna hurt like a bitch for a while.

Trevor: I'll take my chances. Bye.

Trevor hangs up the phone and buries his face in his hands.

Trevor: Am I the only sane one around here?

~X~

Trevor meets everyone outside in their costumes and immediately; Chase pokes him in the throat. Hard.

Trevor: Ow!

Chase: Taking your chances doesn't seem like such a fucking great idea now, huh?

Trevor: That really hurt!

Chase: Hope so. Come on. Let's go save a bitch.

The team ventures out into the forest, searching everywhere.

Hunter: Ariel! Ariel!

Dani: She's not going to respond if she's kidnapped, numbnuts.

Hunter: Well it's better than you just sulking cause you had to get up earlier than 5 PM.

Dani: Whatever.

Hunter: Ariel!

Claire: Hunter, it's probably not going to-

Ariel: I'm here! I-mmph!

Chase: Well, shit. He's the team strategist from now on.

The group rushes toward the sound of the voice, finding an odd scene when they actually do find her.

A table with eight placemats on it is set up, with a tent nearby, and a grill next to it. Ariel is tied to her seat and now has a roll of bread in her mouth that she's trying to spit out. At the grill, Deadpool is flipping burgers, now wearing an apron that says 'Kiss the Cook' but the cook is crossed out and with black sharpie, 'Merc' is written under it.

Deadpool: Hey hey! Look who's here! C'mon, have a seat, lunch is almost ready!

Immediately, Mayday runs over and unties Ariel, bringing her to the group, who are all standing next to the table, watching Deadpool keenly.

Deadpool: Well? What are you doing? Sit down! Make yourselves comfortable!

Chase looks at the others and shrugs, taking a seat.

Deadpool: There ya go!

Mayday: Chase! What are you doing!?

Chase: Taking a seat. He's making lunch for Christ's sake. Are you really in the mood for Sloppy Joe Day #14?

Mayday looks at him and then the grill before sitting down across from him. Everyone does except Hunter.

Deadpool: What's the matter with you, huh?

Hunter: Not really sure what the hell is going on or who the hell are you, but I know a little better than to accept random food from a stranger. Especially one that kidnapped our friend.

Deadpool: Hm. Yeah, maybe I should have tried a different tactic… ah, fuck it. I've never been good with diplomacy. Usually I just shoot stuff.

Deadpool then begins to hand out the burgers and fries, placing one on the final placemat incase Hunter wants some food. He takes a moment, but he eventually sits down next to Dani.

Deadpool: Eat up, folks!

The group actually does eat and finish their food quickly, as it was actually well made.

Deadpool: Mmm. Delish, right?

Chase: Yeah, man.

Deadpool: Great! Now that I've buttered you up, I have a proposition for you folks.

Mayday: What?

Deadpool: I knew you'd say that!

Deadpool runs into his tent and pulls out a whiteboard and marker. He draws a square.

Deadpool: Okay, this is you here. You're a square. You've got no formation. No pizazz. Just a box with no talent in it.

Dani: Gee, thanks.

Deadpool draws a little stickman with Deadpool's face, then two female stickmen at his feet, then draws them holding bags of money.

Deadpool: And that's me. See? I'm a cash money millionaire with all the babes in the world at my feet. And I'm pretty fucking cool too. I got swords and shit? See 'em? They're over there.

Deadpool points to his swords and then draws an arrow from the circle to Deadpool.

Deadpool: Now see, your goal, of course, is to be like me!

Mayday: It is?

Deadpool draws an X through the arrow.

Deadpool: But you're not gonna be like me. There's no one like me. I'm too fucking awesome. However…

Deadpool points to the box.

Deadpool: But I'm gonna turn you from this…

Deadpool draws a diamond under the X and draws an arrow from the square to the diamond.

Deadpool: Into this! Look at that shit! You're a fucking diamond now, baby! That's three tiers under me! Like holy shit, am I right? Now you get to roll in the average babes and the no money you get from your job as a superhero.

Chase: I see where he's going with this. This is gold.

Ariel: Really?

Deadpool: There he is! I knew I had a boy in the audience. That's my boy right there. What's your name?

Chase: Uh… Maverick.

Deadpool: Fuck that. What's your real name?

Chase: Chase.

Mayday: You can't just give it out!

Deadpool fist bumps Chase.

Deadpool: Right there, my boy. See? Chase is my boy. And you can be my boys too!

Dani: What about us girls?

Deadpool: Well, I guess there's a place for you too. But you don't get paid as much.

Dani: What did you just-

Deadpool: Kidding! Kidding, of course. Now, let's get to the point. You guys can all be my boys if you take your spot under my wing and let me mentor you!

Silence.

Mayday: What?

Deadpool: I watched your match with The Brute the other day. Awful. Especially your performance, lady. And you're the veteran of the group. Fastball special into a car? Jesus H. Christ.

Mayday: Shut up! I-

Deadpool: So! Let me teach you how to fight! I've been a mercenary all of my life as Deadpool, I know how to fight crime and shit.

Chase: I think we should do it.

Ariel: Are you fucking crazy? This guy kidnapped me!

Chase: But… he's my boy now…

Deadpool and Chase slowly fist-bump.

Trevor: To be honest, I'm not against it.

Ariel: You too? And you're the rational one!

Trevor: It's just that we do kind of suck at fighting. And we could use some training.

Deadpool: He's on his way to becoming a boy, guys. What's your name?

Trevor: Uh… Trevor.

Deadpool: Trev? Trev, mah soon-to-be-boy. This guy knows what's up.

Mayday: I say we do it as well. I could use a few pointers. And he could probably teach us something at least.

Ariel: Oh my God…

Chase: And I'm in too… so we're all in.

Deadpool: Awesome! We start right now!

Deadpool pulls out a set of white belts with little baby Deadpools on them.

Deadpool: Put these on!

He gives a yellow one to Chase, that has a toddler Deadpool on it.

Ariel: Oh boy…

**To Be Continued…**


	15. Chapter 15: Newcomers

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 15.**

_Three Days Later…_

Deadpool: No! No! No!

The Knights were all in the forest at this time of the afternoon, learning to fight from good ol' Deadpool. They were learning how to punch.

Dani: What?

Deadpool ran up to Dani and got her into a basic boxing stance.

Deadpool: Okay, punch.

Dani throws a swift jab at the air.

Deadpool: No! Sound effects!

Dani: I'm not doing them.

Deadpool: Commmeee oooonnn. Sound effects!

Dani sighs and then punches the air.

Dani: Kapow.

Deadpool: Good!

Deadpool looks over to Chase, who is punching the air repeatedly, making sound effects as he does so.

Deadpool: That's mah boy! Pound it!

Deadpool fist bumps an incoming punch.

Ariel leans over to Mayday.

Ariel: I told you this was a bad idea…

Mayday: I don't know…

Mayday throws two punches and then a knee, all of which Deadpool has taught her.

Mayday: I think it's helping.

Ariel: Right. Of course.

Ariel keeps throwing punches and making small sound effects.

Ariel: Bam. Bam.

Deadpool: You'll all be soldiers when I'm done with you!

Deadpool smirks under his mask and puts his hands on his hips.

Deadpool: Well, that's it for today. Tomorrow we'll try gunplay!

Ariel: Uh…

Chase: Yeah!

~X~

A blonde girl holding a duffel bag walks through the gates of Jacobson High. She's wearing a bomber jacket, a black tank top, jeans, and boots. Her long blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail. She's quite tall, at 5'9" and very athletic.

Blonde Girl: Hm… nice place.

The blonde girl, who has a Scottish accent of some sort, walks to the front office.

~X~

Mayday gets a few knocks at her door and she gets out of her desk to go check on it, opening up the door to see the blonde girl stand about two inches above her.

Blonde Girl: Hello!

Mayday: Uh. Hi?

Blonde Girl: So you have two bedrooms?

Mayday: Yeah. Why?

The blonde girl dangles a pair of keys in front of her and then puts them in her pocket.

Blonde Girl: They sent me up here. I'm your new roommate.

Mayday: Oh. Um… cool.

Mayday lets her into her room and the blonde looks around excitedly at her new place.

Mayday: Well… what's your name?

Blonde Girl: Mine? I'm Kayla McCallister.

Mayday: Kayla, huh? Well, uh…

Mayday leads her into the extra bedroom where there is a mandatory desk and bed.

Mayday: There you go.

Kayla: Thank you. I hope we get to know each other soon.

Mayday: Yeah. Well… have fun.

Mayday walks off to continue studying while Kayla looks around at her own room.

Kayla: This is going to be a great year.

Kayla then gets down to unpacking.

~X~

Tristan Satou, the son of Joel Satou, is getting led around the school by his father, Joel Satou. Eventually they walk outside of a room and Joel hands him a key.

Joel: All right. Here's your room, kiddo.

Tristan: Thanks, Dad.

Joel: No problem. Now, you or I will come visit every couple days and hey, you have my class, so we'll see each other most days.

Tristan: Okay.

Joel: I'll talk to you later, kiddo.

Tristan: Bye, Dad.

Tristan gives his dad a hug and then walks into his own room, shutting the door.

Tristan: Well. All right then.

Tristan starts to unpack.

~X~

_Meanwhile…_

Chase: Screw this piece of garbage!

Chase punches his microwave that doesn't work and sits on his bed. He is still wearing his sunglasses, even though it's night time and he's in his sleeping wear.

Chase: Well… guess I'll jerk it and then head to sleep.

Chase stays silent for a minute.

Chase: Yeah. Yeah I'll do that.

**To Be Continued…**


	16. Chapter 16: Checking In On Old Friends

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 16.**

_The Next Day…_

Ariel is walking back to her room after training, sighing, knowing that the training is helping a little, but having to put up with Deadpool is… tiring, to say the least.

Ariel: _Well… Netflix night again, I guess._

?: Um… hey.

Ariel spins around and then lets a deep breath go when she sees it's only Cedric Macendale.

Ariel: Jesus. Sorry. What's up?

Cedric: Um… see I…

Tristan, who was walking by at this time, stops to see the situation from afar.

Cedric: I was wondering… like… you want to go to a movie sometime?

Ariel frowns.

Ariel: Um… no. But thanks.

Cedric: Wh-what?

Ariel: To be honest, I don't really know you. And the only time I've met you in any way is the time you tried to beat up two of my friends.

Cedric: But… but you healed me. With your powers!

Ariel looks around nervously.

Ariel: Shh! Not so loud. They're secret.

Cedric: Y-you healed me… I…

Cedric tries to reach out and grab Ariel.

Ariel: Whoa! What are you doing?

Cedric: I… I love you!

Ariel: Get away from me, creep!

Ariel is about to throw a punch as he gets closer, but suddenly, a strong hand thumps Cedric in the chest, pushing him back a little bit. Ariel turns to see the Asian-American teenager, Tristan.

Tristan: Hey man, back off of her. She asked you to.

Ariel: Uh…

Cedric shoves Tristan away.

Cedric: She's mine! I get to do whatever I fucking want, you little fucking gook!

Ariel: hey!

Tristan immediately scowls and clenches his fists.

Tristan: _Not fighting anymore…_

Cedric: What, Huh? The chink is too scared to say anything back?

Tristan: _I told Dad…_

Cedric: Go back home to your whore mother, gook. We'll see-

Tristan bursts out and smashes his forearm straight into Cedric's nose, knocking him out completely. Any teen in the area immediately turns to the scene.

Ariel: Holy shit!

Tristan: Fucking baka.

Tristan spits on the unconscious jock and then turns to Ariel.

Tristan: You should probably get back to your room. Teachers are going to be here in a minute and I don't think you want a detention.

Ariel: Aren't you going to go too?

Tristan shakes his head.

Ariel: Why?

Tristan: I… I made a promise. It doesn't matter. Go.

Ariel: Um. Thanks.

Tristan: Whatever. Go.

Ariel runs off and, sure enough, about a minute later, teachers arrive on the scene with the school nurse. The nurse takes Cedric to the infirmary, but the teachers take Tristan to the detention room.

~X~

Joel opens the detention room door and sees Tristan there alone, just thinking to himself.

Joel: Tristan Satou…

Tristan looks up at his father and then down in shame. Joel sighs, grabs a seat, pulls it up to his desk, and leans on it, looking at his son in the eyes.

Joel: Tristan… it's been one day. One day and you've already gotten into a fight.

Tristan looks up defensively.

Tristan: But… Dad, the guy, he was-

Joel: What was he doing, Tristan?

Tristan: He was going to… do stuff to this girl. Her name's Ariel. And then I stepped in. And he started calling me racist names and he said something about Mom…

Tristan goes quiet after that. Joel nods slowly.

Joel: I see. Tris, you know you shouldn't have done that.

Tristan: But… But he said-

Joel: I know, Tristan. And I know you miss your mother very much. And I'm sorry she isn't here right now. I really am. But would she be any happier that you're fighting because some dumb old jock called her a name? That's the one thing you know, that she wanted you to stop doing. You're a good kid otherwise.

Tristan shakes his head.

Joel: Right. It's okay though; I cleared it up with the teachers. I heard what happened through the grapevine. But no more fights, got it?

Tristan nods.

Joel: Good kid. If it makes you feel any better, the jock got expelled after getting in trouble too many times. Sent back to live with his father. But let's go. We'll talk outside.

Tristan gets up and follows his Dad, thinking about his mother.

~X~

Outside the JFK Airport, a man walks through the doors into the Pick-Up and Taxi hub, he has a shaved head, is wearing a t-shirt and a brown jacket, and jeans sighs. He also has various tattoos across his arms and assumedly across his body. He is holding a bag in his left hand and his suitcase in his right.

The man looks at the drivers with signs with different names on them, spotting his own. Normie Osborn.

Normie: Oh.

Normie walks up to the man, shakes his hand, and he is led to the car where the driver puts his suitcase into the trunk. As they drive out of there, the driver speaks up.

Driver: So, returning to visit family?

Normie: Yeah. Something like that.

Driver: So where are you wanting to go? Your… father? Father, right?

Normie: Yep.

Driver: Your father hired me for the whole day.

Normie looks out the window.

Normie: I'd like to see a friend before going back home. Could you take me to Jacobson High?

Driver: Jacobson coming up.

~X~

Something that was released several nights before was also approaching Jacobson High.

And, coincidentally, it was looking for an old friend too.

~X~

Security Guard: Sorry, Sir. You can't enter the campus if you're not related to any of the staff or student body.

Outside Jacobson High, Normie Osborn is still holding the bag in his right hand, standing at the gates with a security guard.

Normie: Fine. Could you give Mayday Parker this?

Security Guard: What is it?

Normie: Just a gift. Run it through a security check or whatever, but please get it to her.

Security Guard: All right. Who are you, by the way?

Normie: An old friend of hers. Normie Osborn.

Security Guard: By chance, are you-

Normie: Yeah, yeah I am related to Harold Osborn. He's my father.

Security Guard: Ah. Thought so. Osborn is a very particular name.

Normie: Mmm, it is. Comes with a legacy too.

Security Guard: I bet. Well Mr. Osborn, I'll get this to her if I can.

Normie: Thanks.

Normie walks off as the security guard heads back inside. He sighs.

Normie: Well… there goes my afternoon. Hope the bus is still there.

Normie walks through the path and takes a cut through the forest to get to the driver and his car just outside Jacobson High.

Normie: Hm…

Normie sighs, but then hears a rustling in the bushes.

Normie: What? Who's there?

Normie looks around and doesn't hear anything, but a few seconds later, the rustling begins again.

Normie: Okay, who the fuck?

Normie walks to the bushes he sees rustling and takes a step in them, holy for his foot to get caught in something.

Normie: Uh…

Suddenly, he is pulled into the bush.

Normie: Agh!

~X~

Kayla is lying back on her bed, having gotten her room just the way she likes it, throwing a ball back and forth.

Kayla: Hmm…

Kayla goes through various positions in trying to think of something to do.

Kayla: _It was so much easier in Glasgow… if I wanted to go and do something, I could go box. But there's no boxing team here…_

Kayla groans and runs a hand through her hair no longer in a ponytail.

Kayla: _What is there to do…?_

Kayla gets up.

Kayla: _Maybe Mayday and I could go do something? That kinda sounds fun._

Kayla opens the door of her room.

Kayla: H-

Kayla was about to say something, but notices Mayday with her back turned to her, now wearing her Spider-Girl costume. She leaps out of the window and swings off through the trees, leaving Kayla speechless.

Kayla: _Holy crap…_

Kayla sits down on the couch in their 'living' or 'common' room.

Kayla: _She has powers too…?_

Kayla looks at her own hands and clenches them into fists, then opens them again.

**Knock Knock Knock!**

Kayla is taken out of her own thoughts and shock at her new roommate when she walks to the door and sees a security guard.

Security Guard: Hello. Are you Mayday Parker?

Kayla: No. Her roommate.

Security Guard: Ah. Could you get this to her? It's from a friend of hers.

The security guard hands her a bag and she looks into it, seeing a small box of some sort.

Kayla: Of course. Thank you.

Security Guard: Anytime.

The security guard walks off and Kayla throws the bag on the coffee table, heading back into her room and lying back on her bed.

Kayla: _Well… there's something to think about…_

~X~

Trevor is walking home from studying in the school library.

Trevor: _Hm… maybe tonight I'll watch a couple movies. Never have before._

Trevor tosses a peach up in the air as he passes Joel Satou and his son talking outside of the building, just as Joel is leaving. He turns the corner, leaving them to do whatever they need to do.

And then suddenly, a vision passes through his mind.

Trevor: Agh!

Trevor leans on the wall as a painful forced memory is shot into his consciousness. Ariel Sofen tied to a chair. Something… something glowing nearby. A warehouse.

Trevor: Gah…

The memory eventually subsides and Trevor immediately pulls out his phone, calling Ariel.

Trevor: Hello? Ariel?

Ariel: Trev? Hey, what's up?

Trevor: I… agh… are you okay?

Ariel: Uh… yeah, fine. Just watching a show. What's up?

Trevor: I… um…

Trevor thinks about how to explain what just happened.

Trevor: Nothing. Had a bad feeling is all. Just… be careful, okay? I heard what happened yesterday. And the thing with Deadpool too.

Ariel: Oh. Thanks, yeah I will.

Trevor: Okay. Bye.

Trevor hangs up the phone.

Trevor: Hrn… I need to tell the others about this. Just in case Ariel is in danger.

Trevor runs off, choosing another contact as he does so. But right then, Tristan walks out of cover, having heard the whole conversation.

Tristan: _That girl… is she in danger…?_

Tristan frowns at the floor and walks off.

**To Be Continued…**


	17. Chapter 17: Operation Little Mermaid

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 17.**

_The Next Day…_

Jason Macendale backhands his child into a wall. In his left hand, he is holding a belt.

Jason: Fucking… little shit!

Jason, after slurring his words, punches him again, this time in the back.

Cedric: Agh!

Jason: Gettin' kicked out of school… fuckin' private school. Beat your fuckin' ass!

Cedric Macendale tries to crawl away from his father who alternates from kicking him to whipping him with his belt, until he crawls up on his bed in the fetal position. His father then spits on him.

Jason: Can't fuckin' believe I raised a piece 'a shit like you.

Jason continues to hurl abuse at his own child as he grabs his head, burying it into the pillow as well.

Cedric: _Ariel… Ariel… please… please save me. Heal me... Just one more time._

Jason rears back another punch.

~X~

Normie's eyes open slowly.

?: He's waking up!

Normie looks around to see that he in his family home bedroom with his mother and father standing over him. He gets up onto his elbow and grabs his head with the other hand.

Normie: Oof…

Harold: Normie!

Liz hugs her son close to herself.

Liz: Are you okay?

Normie: Fine. I'm fine.

Normie sits up straight on his bed.

Harold: Do you remember what happened?

Normie: Huh? Uh… well, I remember taking a shortcut through the forest back to the driver's… then falling back on my head.

Harold: What? Forest?

Normie: Yeah, th-the forest outside of Jacobson High.

Harold furrows his brow in frustration.

Harold: What were you doing there? Why didn't you come straight home?

Normie: I wanted to go visit Mayday when I had the chance to…

Liz: Normie, we told you it's not good for you to meet up with her.

Normie: Why?

Liz: You already know. Your father and hers had… a falling out when they were younger. Both have moved on from one another and it's just… better for the family.

Normie: She's my friend, Mom. One of my only friends.

Liz: You haven't seen her in five years. How do you know she's your friend?

Normie: Cause… I do? I just… I do.

Harold: It's fine, Liz. I trust this won't happen again.

Normie: Oofh. No. Not while I'm here.

Harold: Good. We have dinner for you, would you like us to eat up here with you while you rest?

Normie: That'd be nice.

Harold: All right. Liz, let's grab our food.

Liz: Okay, honey.

Liz kisses Normie on the head and follows Harold downstairs. Normie then looks at his hands.

Normie: _I feel… I feel goddamn fantastic!_

Normie jumps out of bed and looks at himself in the mirror. He normally has a somewhat flat, not exactly flabby, but skinny body. And now he's toned. Muscular. When did that happen?

Normie: _Goddamn. If only May could see this…_

Normie touches the pants he has on, but instead of a normal pants-touching feeling, he feels like he's touching… his own skin.

Normie: _Hrrm…? Weird…_

Normie then looks at his shirt nearby, but as he reaches for it, the shirt just magically appears on his body.

Normie: Whoa!

Normie feels his shirt and it feels the same way as his pants.

Normie: Jeez…

Harold: Since when did you have two of those shirts?

Normie spins around and sees his parents walking into the room.

Normie: I… ah… I'm not sure. I guess I just did.

Harold: Huh. Well, you two, I have a quick call to make, but I'll be right back to spend some time with the family.

Normie: Okay.

Harold kisses Liz on the forehead and walks out of the room. He keeps walking until he gets to his office, where he shuts and locks the door in a hurry. The next thing he does is pull out his phone and make a call, holding it to his ear.

Harold: Dr. Monsen? We may have a problem.

~X~

Trevor is with Chase and Mayday, sitting in a corner of the library. Trevor finally sits down at the table and they all pull their books out.

Chase: Why the hell am I here?

Mayday: Studying?

Chase: Ha. I don't do that.

Mayday: Right.

Trevor: Actually… no. That's not why. Well if you guys would like to after this, sure, study buddies are nice.

Mayday: Wait, then what is this about?

Chase: What? I'm not fucking studying after this. And did you just use goddamn 'study buddies' in a fucking sen-

Mayday stuffs a potato chip in his mouth. Most eyes in the library are on him at this point.

Trevor: I… well, I… jeez, this is hard to explain.

Chase: Just say it.

Trevor: I saw a vision… and-

Chase: Okay, I'm not here to hear about what you saw when you tried weed, man. I'm outta here.

Trevor: Just listen for one second!

Chase: One? That's pushing it.

Mayday: Shut up. What is it, Trevor? A vision?

Trevor: I saw something. You guys know how I have amnesia and that's why I'm here but… but I recalled a memory.

Mayday: That's great!

Trevor: I don't know if it is. It's a memory… but it never happened.

Mayday: What?

Trevor: It… well, you know how I have time powers right?

Chase: Don't have to brag about it, but yeah.

Trevor: Maybe those go beyond what we think… I know I can stop, slow, and sometimes speed up time but… what if I can… see the future?

Chase: HAH! Oh God. This is brilliant!

Mayday: Chase, I have spider powers. You have 'badassery' powers. Which I'm not entirely sure exist. Trevor can stop time. Claire is a frog-girl. And Hunter is the personification of Tentacle Fetish. Are you really ruling out the idea that one of us could maybe see the future?

Chase: Hm. Point taken.

Mayday rolls her eyes at Chase.

Mayday: Well, first of all, what did you see?

Trevor: I saw Ariel tied to a chair with something glowing next to her. She looked terrified. She was in an abandoned warehouse somewhere.

Chase: Sure you weren't just having one of those special wet dreams you told me about?

Trevor: No! And I don't have those! You just made that up.

Chase: Right, you're all innocent and shit. Forgot, sorry.

Mayday: Regardless of Chase perving, this could be… bad.

Trevor: I told her to be careful. She's already been kidnapped once and some jock tried to make a move on her, but…

?: You might need extra protection!

The three turn to a person wearing a tweed suit and tie along with a fedora. Mayday squints her eyes, but the person turns around, revealing it to be Deadpool holding a book and a smoke pipe.

Deadpool: And I think you know who to turn to!

Mayday: Jesus, Deadpool! What are you doing here? And what's with the stupid get-up?

Deadpool pulls up a chair and fist bumps Chase.

Deadpool: I'm undercover. People wouldn't exactly take to the whole red and black costume + weaponry around here. So I'm now undercover as a guy who reads books.

Trevor: Not everyone who reads books looks like that.

Deadpool: Says you. Now, anyway, Ariel getting subjected to BDSM. That's a problem.

Mayday: And we don't-

Deadpool: So you need your mentor to solve it for you. Ah, what a pain you bunch of kids are.

Trevor: No really, we don't-

Chase: Help us, Sensei. Please.

Deadpool: All right, if you guys insist. Operation Innocent Mermaid is a go!

Mayday: Uh… Anyone else have a bad feeling in their stomachs?

Deadpool: Yes! Probably from the microwavable chimi-changas. Those things never go down easy. Anyway, plans and shit.

**To Be Continued…**


	18. Chapter 18: Passing The Torch

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 18.**

_The Next Day…_

Cedric Macendale, now with most of his body hurting or wounded from the abuse he took from his father, Jason Macendale, is lying in the fetal position in the living room, as his father had recently just got into a car and drove off, saying he might not come back and for him to go get a fucking job and start working, cause he's apparently too fuckin' good for school.

Cedric: _Wh-why… why did this happen…?_

He looks up from his position, crawling and lying against the fireplace.

Cedric: _I… I didn't mean to do any of this… I just… agh… ehn…_

The jock grabs his cheek, which is now slightly cut up.

Cedric: _Ariel… Ariel… why didn't you save me? Wh-_

Cedric then slipped back against the fireplace as he tries to get up, knocking a log out of place.

Cedric: Ow…

Cedric gets to his feet and grabs his head, rubbing it. However, to be honest, he could barely feel it over the other attacks he had received earlier.

Cedric: I…

Then, out of the blue, the fireplace begins to slowly move backwards.

Cedric: Hm?

Cedric walks over to the dark opening now, looking around carefully.

Cedric: Um… Uh…

Cedric feels around and flips a lightswitch. Suddenly this whole secret room lights up. All across the room were sets of equipment that belonged to his father. He looks through all of them.

Cedric: _I know this costume… I remember watching videos of it when I was younger. Dad… Dad's Jack O'Lantern?_

Cedric feels the pumpkin-like helmet and an expression of recognition and shock comes to his face.

Cedric: _That's it… isn't it? Ariel can't save me. Can't heal me. Cause her friends aren't letting her. Right. That's it. That has to be it…_

Cedric grabs the helmet and looks into its eyes.

Cedric: _Then… then someone has to save her._

He smiles.

~X~

Normie is in the bathroom at his family's house. He's looking in the mirror and has a kit of needles and a type of liquid drug called 'Hypo' in a bag. He's looking at the crooks of his arms.

Normie: _Oh My God… the marks are gone and… I don't even want to shoot up! Holy shit. Holy fucking shit!_

Normie smiles at himself as he grabs his tools and throws them in the toilet.

Normie: _Whatever grabbed me the other day… thank god for it! Thank The Whole Universe!_

Normie then flushes it all down the toilet.

~X~

Mayday gets home from crime fighting, or, 'studying' when Kayla immediately runs up to her.

Kayla: Mayday!

Mayday: Oh. Uh. Hey.

Kayla hands her a bag.

Kayla: I'm sorry I forgot to give this to you. A security guard dropped it off.

Mayday: Oh.

Kayla: He said it was from somebody named Normie Osborn.

Mayday: Normie!?

Mayday immediately rips the small box out of the bag and runs to her room, shutting the door.

Kayla: Um… hm.

Kayla looks down at the floor and sees that Mayday left her bag on the ground in the rush. She kneels down to pick it up to give it to her, but as she does, she notices a note coming out of the bag and picks it up to read it, just out of curiosity.

Kayla: _What is… oh my._

Kayla has picked up the plan to protect Ariel from whatever could attack her for the upcoming week.

Kayla: _Ariel Sofen is in danger? She's in my Calculus class…_

After giving it a thorough read-through, Kayla is shocked to find out that Ariel, Trevor, Chase, Hunter, Claire, and Dani have powers as well as Mayday. And they're working with Deadpool! Even she knows that name.

Kayla puts the note back in the bag and sets it on the table.

Kayla: _Hm… maybe… maybe they could use… no. No. What am I thinking? I don't use my powers for that kind of thing…_

Kayla walks back into her room.

Kayla: _Well, it couldn't hurt to just… hang around there, could it? Just in case? You never-No! No I'm not doing that… I think._

~X~

Mayday, having just gotten into her room and settled down, has Normie's package on her lap.

Mayday: _I can't shocking believe that Normie actually sent me a package. He's probably here in New York too!_

Mayday nervously opens the top part of the box up and looks inside.

Mayday: Huh?

Mayday pulls out a small locket and opens it up, seeing a picture of Normie and her hanging in her family's basement when they were kids.

Mayday: Aw…

Mayday puts a hand to her mouth as she gets teary-eyed.

Mayday: _I have to go see him before he leaves… sometime after tomorrow. Gotta be there for at least the first day to make sure Ariel is safe._

~X~

Normie is lying in bed in the evening after dinner, watching television.

Normie: _God… reality TV sucks so hard now._

Normie sighs.

Normie: _I wish you could just snap your fingers and make it go away like-_

Normie snaps his fingers.

Normie: -that!

And then, the TV turned off.

Normie: Uh… what?

Normie snaps his fingers again and the TV turns on.

Normie: _Is… is this something Dad put in?_

He snaps his fingers again and it turns off. He keeps doing it, turning the TV on and off at will. He looks at the lamp next to his table and snaps at it, turning it on and turning it off.

Normie: _No… no this works on everything. This is… this is from whatever pulled me into the bush the other day._

Normie begins to snap his fingers at every electronic device in the room, turning it on and off.

Normie: _I… I have superpowers now! I said this before and I'll say it again, I feel fantas-_

_We know, Normie. We know._

Normie: Huh-

And then a whole complicated history begins to be shoved into his mind.

Normie: AGH!

Normie grabs his head and his TV turns to static and every electronic thing in the entire house turns on.

_R-Richard… Richard P-Parker…_

**_Made Us…_**

_Peter Parker…_

**_Promised Us…_**

_Venom…_

**_Hurt Us…_**

_Eddie… Eddie Brock…_

**_Lied To Us…_**

_Spider-Man…_

**_Hate Him…_**

_Spider-Man…_

**_Destroy Him…_**

_Spider…_

**_Murder…_**

_Girl…_

**_Death…_**

_May…_

**_Consume…_**

_Mayday…_

**_Love…_**

_Parker…_

Normie: Stop!

Normie then sends out some sort of wave, knocking every electronic item in the room off the shelves. Harold and Liz burst into his room.

Liz: Normie!

Liz runs to Normie's side and grabs Normie, holding him in her arms.

Normie: I… I don't know what just… I…

Liz: It's okay. Shh, baby. Shh.

Normie: I… Dad… I…

Harold: It's okay, son. I understand. Just… just rest now.

Harold looks at the room around him.

Harold: _More than you know._

~X~

Jason Macendale bursts through the door of his house, shutting it loudly. He throws the grocery bags on the couch.

Jason: Cedric! Where the fuck are you, you little fucking failure!?

Cedric yells from upstairs.

Cedric: Up here, father.

Jason: Father? I ain't your fuckin' father. Ask your mother who your fuckin' father is.

Jason stomps upstairs and into Cedric's room.

Jason: CE-hrm?

Jason looks around but doesn't find Cedric, but, suddenly, the door is shut behind him and the lights turn off.

Jason: The hell?

Jason spins around and round to see what's going on.

Jason: Kid? You fuckin' did this? I can't wait to get my-

?: Hmhmhmhm…

Jason: Whuh…?

?: Hehehehehhh…

Jason: Is that… no… no it can't be.

Suddenly, a burning light comes from overhead. Jason turns slowly to look at it, seeing his son wearing his mercenary Jack O'Lantern suit, riding atop the jet-powered broomstick. His fiery jack o'lantern head bores deep into his eyes.

Jason: Cedric…?

Cedric: HAHAHAHAHA! No. No, not Cedric, father. Arentcha proud of me? Carryin' on the family legacy!? HAHA!

Cedric, or, the man formerly known as Cedric Macendale, slowly pulls out a serrated dagger that gleams because of his head.

Cedric: It's Mad Jack now, father.

Screams and laughter accompany together for the next half hour.

**To Be Continued…**


	19. Chapter 19: Empty Promises

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 19.**

_The Next Day…_

Serena and John are in the observatory room with Harold Osborn once again.

Serena: So you believe your son came across and is now the host of our subject?

Harold: Not believe. I can confirm this. Yesterday, he was able to activate every single technological device in the entire house. I was able to convince my wife that this was an odd electrical occurrence.

John: And how long has he had it?

Harold: Last night would be his third day.

John: Absolutely astounding results!

Harold: Dr. Monsen, I believe you know that the subject was not developed for my son. And he does not deserve to be the host of… whatever you could call that monster.

John: Of course not, of course not. I didn't mean that, Mr. Osborn.

Harold: Good. I sincerely hope not.

Serena: Ah, Mr. Osborn? I think… I think I have a plan to still be able to test it effectively.

Harold's eyebrows rise slightly in surprise.

Harold: I'm all ears.

~X~

Normie is walking through the streets of New York, marveling at the scenery around him.

Normie: _This is… unbelievable… I know exactly where I am. And I know exactly how to get home. It's like I have a… built in GPS or something._

Normie walks out onto the street and sends a text on his phone to his mother via his mind.

Normie: _I think I'll stop by a starbucks on the way home to get a coffee. Where is-Oh! Now I know. Wow. I-_

Suddenly, a vibration and piercing sound goes off in his head, causing Normie to place a hand on his head.

Normie: Ow! _What is…?_

Taxi Driver: Hey! Buddy! Get out of the road!

Normie quickly spins around to see and also sense a car coming flying towards him, going too fast to stop fully in time. He could also sense that the light was now green.

Taxi Driver: Oh no…

Normie instinctively puts out a hand and suddenly, with a surge of energy going through his arm, he's able to stop the car in its tracks and have the airbags go off to prevent anyone from getting hurt.

Normie: Wh-whoa.

Normie looks at his own hand and before something like that happens again, he swiftly makes his way off the road and into an alleyway.

Normie: _What is going on with me?_

Normie then drops his phone in his free hand, causing it to go behind a full dumpster.

Normie: Ah, crap.

Normie gets ready to bend down and maybe be able to get the dumpster out of the way a little bit, but as soon as he begins pushing, he completely flips it over and throws it through the air.

Normie: WHOA!

The dumpster bounces its way down the alleyway and Normie picks up his phone, putting it back in his pocket.

Normie: I… wow.

~X~

Mayday is watching television idly for a moment after her daily classes.

News Caster: Yesterday evening, Jason Macendale was found slaughtered in-

Mayday turns the television off and rubs her face.

Mayday: _I… I'd kinda like to go see Normie tonight. It'd be nice just to see him again._

Mayday thinks on it for a few moments.

Mayday: _I don't think the team will need me tonight, will they? No. No of course not. I can… I bet I can just give him a quick visit and be back before the night is over._

Mayday gathers up her things to head out.

Mayday: Yeah. I bet so.

~X~

_Later in The Day…_

Trevor: So… this is the plan?

The whole team, minus Mayday but plus Deadpool, is sitting in Ariel's room, waiting for something to happen.

Deadpool: Yup. Just sit in here every night until something happens.

Ariel: Um, can I go to sleep at some point?

Deadpool: Yeah, I'll keep watch over you just in case.

Ariel: I don't think I want you watching me sleep.

Deadpool: Don't worry, you won't even notice me. Literally. I'll turn invisible.

Ariel: …I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep.

Deadpool: It's fiiine.

Dani yawns and stretches out.

Dani: I'm getting tired…

Deadpool: You kiddies should go to sleep. It might be a bit early, but you need to be rested up to fight the big bads.

Hunter: So are you going to keep watch?

Deadpool: Yeah. I don't sleep.

Chase: Well then, everyone. Pick a spot and get sleepin'.

Everyone respectively gets on the floor and gets handed one of Ariel's many pillows, and then falls asleep.

~X~

Mayday knocks on the door of The Osborn Mansion, then presses the doorbell, and waits patiently, holding a box of doughnuts.

Mayday: _I… what am I doing here? I have a responsibility, I gotta go help Ariel. This is stupid, I-_

And then the door opens up, Normie behind it.

Normie: May!

Mayday gets a big grin on her face.

Mayday: Hi Normie!

Mayday walks inside, sets the box down, and gives Normie a big hug.

Mayday: Are your parents home?

Normie: No, they went out on a date. Probably won't be home for the night.

Mayday: Aw, would've loved to meet Mr. and Mrs. Osborn again.

Normie remembers what Liz said to him.

_Liz: You already know. Your father and hers had… a falling out when they were younger. Both have moved on from one another and it's just… better for the family._

Normie: Well, I bet they're sorry they couldn't be here right now.

~X~

_Later in The Evening…_

Everyone was sleeping soundly, most notably, Dani had at one point crawled up next to Hunter while he was asleep and is now the big spoon. Deadpool, of course, had also fallen asleep.

?: Hnhnhnhnh…

Deadpool: Nyum… nyu-hurhnm?

Deadpool sits up slightly, readjusting his mask at what he thought was laughter out in the distance.

?: Hehehehehehehhhh…

Deadpool: Whoziwha…?

?: HAAHHAAHAAHAHHAHAAA!

Deadpool: Oh shi-

Suddenly, the wall facing out to the air blew out, and little red cartoon-styled devil robots began to fly in.

Deadpool: Holy shit!

Before anyone could really react, the robots began to attack The Knights, some of them were able to throw the ones that were just waking up from the explosion outside.

Deadpool: Uh oh… I fucked up. Shit, guys, my bad.

Claire screams as she's thrown out into the main courtyard along with all the other Knights, except Claire, who was being held down. Deadpool was being chased by them. All of them land softly due to their powers, but it would probably kill a normal person.

Deadpool: This is just like that time in Tijuana! Ah! This sucks!

Deadpool pulls out his swords and slices at them, but more keep coming in, preoccupying him. Down on the ground, Hunter is attacking as many as he can with his tendrils.

Hunter: What are these damn things!?

Chase looks up from the ground and sees that his goggle aviator sunglasses were broken. He throws them to the floor and switches them out before anyone sees, but still gets up exuding an absolutely angry aura.

Chase: You little fucking bitches. That was my favorite pair.

Chase walks right up to one of the devil robots and punches it in the face, breaking his fist through its metal shell. He does it with his other fist and then begins to attack the other flying mini devil robots with his flying-robot-mini-devil-fists.

Claire: Who is controlling these little robots!?

And, almost as if on cue, Mad Jack flies down into the school on his jet-powered broomstick, dispatching the security guards and policemen that were on site with two pumpkin bombs.

Mad Jack: AHAAHAHAHAAAA!

Mad Jack flies right into Ariel's room, seeing Deadpool fighting off the little devils.

Mad Jack: Ohohoh. Do we have a special guest on our little show this evening?

Deadpool: Huh?

Deadpool looks at Mad Jack for a moment but then gets blasted with laser eye beams from all the devils he was fighting, shooting him out of the dorm room.

Little Devils: Kill! Kill! Kill!

Mad Jack: I guess our special guest is a little preoccupied by his adoring fans! AHAHA!

Mad jack then turns to Ariel, who is desperately trying to escape the hold of the various little devils.

Mad Jack: Heeeheee! Hello my little sweet Ariel…

Mad Jack moves in on her slowly, but just before he gets to touch her face, someone grabs his arm.

Mad Jack: Who dares touch me?!

Mad Jack turns to see Tristan holding his arm.

Tristan: Uh…

Mad Jack grabs Tristan by the throat with his free hand.

Mad Jack: I remember you. You were the one who caused all this! You got me expelled from here! You took her from me! You can't have her! You can't! Aha! You can't!

Ariel looks at Mad Jack for a moment and she realizes it…

Ariel: _Cedric Macendale…? The guy who got expelled cause he got into a fight with Tristan…?_

Mad Jack: Now that you've destroyed my life… I get to repay the favor! Aha! AHAHAAA!

Mad Jack then hurls Tristan out of the dorm room, the five story drop below.

Tristan: AAAH!

Ariel: NO!

~X~

Mayday and Normie are laughing together as they finish watching a bad movie like they always used to do.

Mayday: I miss these times, Normie.

Normie: I do too. I really do.

Mayday smiles.

Mayday: So I got your present.

Normie: Oh right. What did you think of it?

Mayday: It was beautiful. I… I really love it.

Normie: I got it special made. Had to go dig through my old pictures and resize it and all that. Took a while to do. Thought you'd appreciate it.

Mayday: Really? You… did all that for me?

Normie: Of course, May. I… You're really special to me.

Mayday smiles at Normie for a moment, but then, they both begin to lean in slowly.

Mayday: _You just hit the jackpot, Normie…_

And as their lips are about to touch, something goes off in Mayday's mind.

Mayday: Whoa!

Mayday rears back.

Normie: Oh. Oh is there something wrong? I…

Mayday: Normie…

Mayday looks closely at him.

Mayday: You… there's something wrong.

Normie: What?

Mayday: How come I didn't notice it before…? Where are your tattoos?

Normie: Huh?

Normie looks at his arms to find that his tattoos have been removed.

Normie: Oh. I um… I got them removed.

Mayday: But… But there would be marks. Plenty. And… and the last I heard, you were a Hypo addict… wouldn't you have-

Normie: No!

Normie shoots to his feet faster than Mayday has ever seen a normal person move.

Normie: I'm not a Hypo addict! I'm not! Not anymore! See, see I got this thing… and it… it changed me. I don't have to have Hypo anymore. Look!

Normie snaps his fingers and turns off the TV. While he's doing that, Mayday notices something with her heightened senses. A ripple in his skin.

Mayday: _Something's inside h… oh. Oh my God. Oh no. It couldn't be…_

Mayday takes a step back.

Normie: What? What is it!?

Mayday: Your… Normie, what 'thing' did you get?

Normie: It… it's this black goo. This thing that dragged me into a bush. It changed my life! I'm new again! I'm perfect!

Mayday: Oh God no… Normie, you need to get that goo off right now.

Normie: What? Why?

**_I told you, Normie…_**

Mayday: That black goo… it's a Symbiote. It is one of the most dangerous things in the world. You need to get it off now. Right now.

**_Spiders make promises they can't keep…_**

Mayday: Please. Please, I will help you do this. I will, I-

**_Spiders hurt us…_**

Normie: N-no… No, May. No.

**_Spiders lie to us…_**

Mayday: What? What do you mean, no? Normie, I know these things! I know-

**_You hate them…_**

Normie: I know you know! I know what you are! I know you're Spider-Girl! You never told me! You lied! You're a liar! Just like your father!

**_You want to destroy them…_**

Mayday: Dammit, Normie! You need to listen to me! You can't let it take control! That thing on you, it'll-

**_Murder her…_**

Normie: You always thought you were better than me… you always did!

**_Give her Death…_**

Mayday: No… this can't happen. Not to you.

**_Consume her…_**

Normie: My parents were right! You and your family are just a bunch of liars! Cheats! Evil people!

**_She doesn't love you…_**

Mayday: No… Normie… please, I… I've always lov-

**_Only I love you…_**

Normie: No! You just want it for yourself! Never! You won't take it away! You… you…

**_We… We love us._**

Normie keels over in pain, yelling out.

**_We hate you..._**

Mayday: Oh god! No!

_**Oh yes...**_

The Black Suit begins to crawl slowly out of Normie's skin, plastering itself all over him. He screams as his clothes disappear and his head begins to transform into that of a typical symbiote's, and two other arms grow out, then another two.

_**We've always hated you...**_

Mayday: N-no… Normie… Normie..

_**And now? Now we will consume you...**_

Normie rises from the ground; a few tentacles here and there squirm and twist as his suit writhes on him, taking control of his entire body. He finally stands on his two feet, hunched over, now with six arms, all with five long claws. He bares his fangs and his long tongue slithers out of his mouth. His large white eyes, shaped like corrupted tear drops, bore into hers, giving only one emotion... hate.

Mayday: Please, Normie, listen. I don't want to do this.

**_Normie? There is no Normie anymore…_**

The Symbiote-controlled Normie gives off a feral roar.

Venom: THERE IS ONLY VENOM!

**To Be Continued…**


	20. Chapter 20: A Gift From Your Godfather

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 20.**

_At Jacobson High..._

Tristan: AAAAAHH!

Tristan falls from the fifth floor dorm room of Ariel Sofen, having been tossed out by Mad Jack.

Mad Jack: AHAHAHAAA!

Tristan, as he's falling, his life begins to flash before his eyes and something… something begins to speak to him.

_Hm… I wish I could waited longer._

Tristan: _Who… who are you? Are you m_

_No. I am not. I am something else. A gift from your godfather._

Tristan: _I have a godfather?_

_Yes. And now… he has entrusted me to you. I am your essence. Your lifeforce. You embody me. And you must take agree to an oath. The Oath of The Round Table._

Tristan: _I… I don't know what you're talking about._

_I shall guide you. Swear now, o squire, that you shall always defend a woman in need, be charitable and defend the poor and helpless, and you shall be brave._

Tristan: _What happens if I do swear to this oath?_

_You shall not fall today, for one. And you shall go on to do great things with a new order of Knights._

Tristan: _Then… then I swear._

_Then I, Excalibur, dub thee, Sir Knight. Rise and carry on my legacy._

Tristan: _Wait… what? Exc-_

And then, suddenly, as he was midway through his fall, light enveloped him as he flipped backwards on pure instinct, armor forming on his skin as he landed in a perfect crouched position.

Tristan: Oh… oh wow.

Tristan looks at himself. He is now wearing form-fitting armor, with a helm very similar to a Knight's, however, instead of just a normal view at his eyes, a visor replaces the empty space. His armor is gunmetal grey with a black undersuit. He also swears a cloak that is wrapped around his shoulders and part of his neck.

Tristan: Well… I think this'll do fine.

Tristan stands up and leaps into the air, landing on the side of the building and wall-running up to the fifth story dorm room, flipping into the air as he came to the opening.

Mad Jack: AHAH-huh?

Tristan then bursts forward in the air into an air-dash, striking Mad Jack straight across the mouth of his helmet. Mad Jack flips backwards into the air, but lands on his jet-powered broomstick.

Mad Jack: Ooooo… did the little gook get a-

Tristan stomps on the ground and uppercuts Mad Jack, throwing the punch so hard he causes a gust of wind to follow with it.

Mad Jack: Hrrgffhh!

Mad Jack bounces off the ceiling, cracking it, but his broomstick still catches him, taking the villain outside.

Mad Jack: AHAHAH! Well, I see you're not a chink of many words! Ahah!

Tristan: I won't need words when I beat your head in, Cedric.

Mad Jack begins to tremble.

Mad Jack: I am not… Cedric Macendale…

Mad Jack whips out two pumpkin bombs.

Mad Jack: I AM MAD JACK! AHAHAHAAA!

The fiendish pumpkin throws the bombs into Ariel's apartment.

Ariel: N-no!

Ariel uses what she can of her ability in her current state to restore the bombs back into Mad Jack's vicinity.

Mad Jack: Ah… Uh-oh.

The bombs explode and Mad Jack is sent flying to the ground.

Tristan: Hnh. Thanks.

Ariel: Could… could you return the favor?

Tristan looks at the little devils holding her limbs down and walks over, smashing the two holding her ankles with his armored fists and grabbing the other two, crushing them. Ariel sits up, rubbing her limbs.

Ariel: Thanks.

Tristan: As you said, just returning the favor.

Tristan looks down to see Mad Jack finally finishing recovering from his attack backfiring.

Mad Jack: Ariel… why would my Ariel do that…

Mad Jack looks up at Tristan, who leaps down to the ground and slowly approaches him.

Mad Jack: You… it's all you! You're corrupting her! You're trying to ruin my life!

Tristan: At this point, I don't give a shit. You called my mother a whore and me a gook and a chink. I don't care if you're wearing that stupid fucking costume or not.

Tristan gets into a fighting stance.

Tristan: I'm just going to kick your ass.

Mad Jack: AHAHAHA! This idiot is trying to get with my woman…? My Ariel?

Mad Jack pulls a handle from his belt and presses a button, releasing a sword made of fire.

Mad Jack: I guess then… you wouldn't mind if I cut in… AHAHAAH!

Mad Jack jumps on his broomstick and jets forward, attempting to slice Tristan in half with his blade. However, the rookie leaps into the air, corkscrewing as he does so, and dodges the blade by the very top of his helm, landing in his perfect crouching position.

Mad Jack: Huh?

Tristan dashes after Mad Jack and tries to attack him as he's turning, but Mad Jack is able to parry the blow with his sword in time, causing Tristan to try and stop himself, missing and hitting the ground hard in the meantime.

Tristan: Gnh… ouch…

Tristan gets to his feet as Mad Jack stops. He leaps onto his broomstick as if it were a surfboard and holds down the button on the sword handle, causing the fire to intensify.

Mad Jack: HAHAHA!

Mad Jack cackles maniacally as he flies forward, readying a swing of his sword to the weakened Tristan. However, the knight feels the moon above empowering him… strengthening him.

So, he clenches his fists, lunar energy compiling itself there.

Tristan: Rrrrgghh…

With an animalistic growl, Tristan swings one hand after the other at the incoming Mad Jack, two crescent-shaped energy shots flying at him.

Mad Jack: HAHAHAH-uh…

Mad jack is struck with one of them, causing him to get blown off of his broomstick, and the other one hits him in mid-air. The broomstick continues to fly and strikes Tristan hard in the chest, knocking him down hard.

Tristan: Hoofh!

Mad Jack hits the ground, but he's able to recover quickly.

Mad Jack: Now you've just made me angry.

Mad Jack jumps onto his incoming broomstick and gets to Tristan's side.

Mad Jack: You're not going to take her away, you little Asian shit!

Mad Jack whips out his serrated dagger that's still stained with his father's blood and stabs it into Tristan's forearm.

Tristan: AOOWGHH!

As Mad Jack laughs maniacally at his pain, Tristan rips out the knife and gets up onto his right hand and knees.

Mad Jack: Ohh. The gook wants to fight. Ahaha! Okay! I can fight!

Mad Jack shoves his left fist into an active pumpkin bomb.

Mad Jack: And I can fight better than you can! HAHA!

Mad Jack sends a left hook straight into Tristan's helm, the bomb blowing up upon the hard impact, shooting Tristan through the air and onto his back. Mad Jack looks at his left hand, which is now completely charred.

Mad Jack: KHAAHAHAAA! AAAAHHHHAAH!

Mad Jack cackles at his pain and his hand. He walks slowly over Tristan, who is trying desperately to get to his feet, but is unable to get off his back.

Mad Jack: Time to make Teriyaki out of you… Heeehee!

Mad Jack raises the sowrd with his right hand and is about to stab it into Tristan…

?: HHHHHYYYY-

Mad Jack: Huh?

Mad Jack is then slammed in the face with a punch that literally causes a small shockwave, cracking the pumpkin helmet. Mad Jack flies back about fifteen feet and lands on his broomstick.

Tristan: Wh-who…?

Tristan looks up at Kayla McCallister, wearing her bomber jacket, black tanktop, dark skinny jeans, and hiking boots, and was also cracking her knuckles.

Kayla: That one almost hurt!

Kayla grabs Tristan and lifts him to his feet.

Kayla: Come on, armor guy. We have a fight to finish.

Tristan: Ernh… give me a minute. I'm a little wiped.

Kayla: Right. I'll take him on.

Mad Jack finally gets up from the attack, grabbing his helmet.

Mad Jack: You… you little blonde bimbo. Heehee…

Mad Jack is about to go ballistic, but is able to calm himself down as he realizes something.

Mad Jack: Well, I'd love to keep this up all night, but I have a date I need to get to! BWAAHAHAA!

Mad Jack boosts into the air and grabs Ariel who was trying to writhe away from the little devils carrying her in the air.

Hunter: Fuck…

Dani: Dammit!

Trevor: No!

Mad Jack: KHAAAAHAHAHAHAAA! AHAHAHAAAA!

Mad Jack cackles once more, flying off into the night with Ariel, who was attempting to scream, the little devils following suit. Before The Knights could even think about following him, he had already somehow disappeared.

Chase: Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!

Chase grabs a piece of a little devil and hurls it at the ground, turning to his team.

Chase: This is not fucking happening, you understand me? We're going to find her. Trevor, do you know anything other than what you saw in your vision?

Trevor: Uh… give me a minute.

Chase: We don't have a goddamn minute! Think!

Trevor closes his eyes and tries to think of the memory again, drawing up the vivid image. He scans the picture, trying to find anything he could use. And then he sees a logo for the Northern New York Shipping and Handling Company. The NNYSH. Meaning…

Trevor: I got it… The Northern Docks. She's being taken to a warehouse in the northern docks.

Chase: That's fuckin' right! That's my boy!

Chase turns to Deadpool, Tristan, and Kayla.

Chase: You three are coming with us. Not negotiable.

Tristan: Wouldn't want it any other way.

Kayla: Really? Um… okay.

Deadpool: Right!

Chase then pulls his skull mouth bandana over his nose.

Chase: Everyone take five to get costumed up and ready. We're going to kick a pumpkin's ass and get our damn friend back.

**To Be Continued…**


	21. Chapter 21: Consume and Destroy

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 21.**

_At The Osborn Mansion…_

Venom stands across from Mayday Parker, hissing as he does so, his six arms all moving separately from one another.

Mayday: Please, Normie, listen. I don't want to do this.

Venom: THERE IS ONLY VENOM!

Venom lunges across the room to grab May, but she's able to cartwheel out of the way.

Venom: Rrrghh…

Venom grabs the wardrobe he landed in front of and hurls it at May, who is able to dodge once more and even swing it back at the symbiote, hitting him into the wall.

Mayday: Normie, I know you're in there-

Venom then bursts out of the wardrobe, leaping towards Mayday, who sidesteps out of the way just barely, the claws on two of his right hands ripping her shirt at its sides.

Mayday: Hynh!

Mayday retaliates by jumping on her hand, kicking Venom with her foot, but as she tries to get back on her feet, Venom grabs Mayday's leg with all three hands and hurls her into the wall, denting the metal supports.

Mayday: Guh-

Before Mayday can even get up, Venom grabs her by the throat and slams her into the wall, roaring in her face.

Mayday: Dammit Normie… pl-please don't let it…

Venom: We are in control!

Mayday then pushes off the wall, kicking Venom in the knees with both feet, knocking him down She then leaps onto his shoulders, vaulting off of them with her hands.

Mayday: I don't want to fight! I just want to help!

Venom spins around, sweeping her legs out from under her with one set of arms and punching her out through the sliding glass doors and onto his balcony.

Mayday: Agh…

As Venom begins to rip the rest of the glass door off, Mayday is able to strap on her left webshooter, and as her opponent tries to strike her, she uses her pure strength to roll back onto her upper back and launch herself into the air with one hand, back flipping and strapping the right webshooter on as she does so.

Venom: Grargh!

Venom attempts to grab her, but she twists to the side in the air, landing on the balcony's railing and webbing his left three hands to it as well.

Venom: Spider! D-Die!

Venom tries to hit her with his other three hands, but she dodges and webs them to the balcony as well.

Mayday: Keep still!

Mayday webs both of his shoulders and hops off the balcony, swinging under it and sticking the webs to the underside of it, Venom now leaning on the railing.

Venom: Rrrraaarrghhh!

Mayday crawls back on and with a flurry of webs, covers her adversary's whole body with webbing, attaching him to the mansion.

Mayday: Stay there. I'm going to call some people to come and help you…

Venom: We… We don't need help! We've never needed help!

Venom roars into the air and, from the electrical lines near his house, a huge bolt of electricity strikes Mayday's webs.

Mayday: Jesus!

Mayday leaps off and onto the wall of the mansion as she watches her webbing begin to dissolve, speeding up the process of dissolving into powder by exposing it to extreme heat, via electricity. However, this causes the carpet on the balcony to catch fire, leading to his room catching fire, and probably the whole house will soon as well.

Mayday: _The symbiote… it knows how to beat me…_

Venom, having also been electrocuted, begins to smoke as he rips his way out of what was left of the webbing.

Venom: Squash the little spider! Squash her!

Venom grabs the railing and rips it off with one set of hands, throwing it at Mayday. But as she leaps out of the way, Venom jumps up himself, grabbing her.

Venom: RRGH!

Mayday: What are you0

Venom and Mayday fall down together, smashing into the balcony and tearing it right off the wall, the two of them crashing into the mansion's yard below.

After a few moments, Mayday crawls to her feet, her clothes now ripped and torn, her body battered and bruised.

Mayday: Ghh…

Mayday turns to the balcony, but has to immediately react, as its kind of being thrown at her.

Mayday: CRAP!

Mayday front flips onto the incoming balcony and then flips off of it, but before she can land, Venom charges at her, grabbing her, spinning around, and lobs her into the gate leading outside into the estate.

Mayday: Oww… ah…

But, she has no time to recover, as she rolls out of the way of another lunge and launches herself onto the wall of the mansion, but again has to dodge, spinning onto her back as Venom crashes into the wall.

And again, she moves out of the way as Venom jumps back through the wall, and once more. But she starts crawling quickly across it as fists begin to fly through, weaving her path through, until she's grabbed by all six hands and wrenched into the mansion again, this time into the main lobby.

Venom: GAGH!

Venom holds onto her and falls back, driving her into the floor. Fire rages around them, threatening to tear down the house.

Venom, still in a rage, webs Spider-Girl into the air in front of him and lands a punch, driving her back into the floor, and continues to beat on her until he realizes the danger of fire all around.

Venom: Hrgh… f-fire…

Mayday spits out some blood as she gets to her feet slowly, seeing Venom looking around for a better place to continue the fight.

Mayday: Heh… I see.

Mayday shoots out a web, pulling herself in while he's distracted and landing a right cross. Then webs herself in again, throwing a left hook, and finally, webs herself in once more to land a flip-kick, hitting him into the floor hard.

Venom: Gaaaggsh…

Mayday grabs Venom's head and lifts him up, readying another punch before she's swatted away. He is able to get himself ready as she jumps in again, grabbing her body with all of his arms as he tries to bring her in further.

Venom: C-conssuummee…

Mayday: N-no!

Mayday plants her feet on his waist to push off, but finds that her feet begin to get sucked in as well. Venom unhinges his jaw to completely devour her, taking her essence back into himself. To complete himself.

Mayday: _Think, Mayday, think!_

Mayday's head scans the room for anything that could be of use, and realizes exactly what.

Mayday: _Got it!_

Mayday points her hands forward and webs the wall, using all of her strength to pull them towards it.

Venom: Wh-what…?

Venom screams and yells as she pulls them both ever so closely to one of the more raging patches of fire around the room. The symbiote begins to writhe, forgetting its purpose to consume Mayday and only focusing on survival.

Venom: No! W-we won't… NO!

The symbiote reveals Normie inside while it tries to find a way to escape, his eyes wide and the symbiote latched onto his body.

Mayday: _Normie!_

The symbiote then crawls away from Normie's body and away from the fire, and Mayday is able to web her old friend into her arms as she vaults out of the way of the fire.

Mayday: Normie, Normie are you…?

Mayday watches him breath and smiles, but as she does, she hears a horrific shriek, seeing that the symbiote is growling larger, everything electronic in the house going haywire, ready to attack.

Mayday: No…

But before it can do anything, the doors of the mansion are broken down, and Alchemax Security burst in, using sonic-powered rifles to suppress the symbiote.

Venom: SCREEEEE!

Security: Take it down! Take them both down!

Two security officers immediately turn their rifles on Mayday, nearly blowing out her eardrums before knocking her over the head hard, causing her to go unconscious.

**To Be Continued…**


	22. Chapter 22: Daddy Always Said

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 22.**

_In the NNYSH warehouse, Ariel is tied to a chair and Mad Jack is sitting in a corner, watching her intently. It's almost the exact same picture that Trevor had seen sometime earlier._

Ariel: Why… why are you doing this?

Mad Jack: Why?

Mad Jack scoots closer, so he's right in front of her.

Mad Jack: Because, we love each other. I'm saving you.

Ariel: What?

Mad Jack: You couldn't save me. So… so you had to have been in trouble, right? Isn't that it? Yeah. Yeah you love me, Ariel. I know you do.

Mad Jack gets up on his knees, putting his hands on her knees. She tries to turn away from him.

Mad Jack: You don't have to say it. I know. I love you so much, my little pumpkin. Soon, soon when all the bad men go away… we can go off together. And be happy. You'd like that, right? To be happy?

Ariel: You know… maybe I'm just a masochist, but I'm not going anywhere with you. You fucking psychopath.

Mad Jack: See? They corrupted you, my little Ariel. I-

Ariel: We don't even know each other! You don't know who my parents are! You don't know my middle name! You know nothing about me!

Mad Jack: I do. Karla and Jessica Sofen! And your middle name is Jane.

Ariel: How…?

Mad Jack: I know everything about you. I even know what size clothes you wear, my love.

Ariel: Get. Away. From. Me.

Mad Jack: Shhh. It's going to be okay.

**CRRRAASH!**

Mad Jack spins around.

Mad Jack: Dammit!

Mad Jack shoves Ariel away from the door to this room, sending her to the very back of it.

Mad Jack: Now… now the real show begins. I can't wait to bathe in the bad people's blood with you. Heeeheee!

Mad Jack presses a few buttons on his gauntlet.

~X~

Chase smashes into the side of the warehouse with his motorcycle, him and Trevor jumping off of it.

Chase: We're here.

The rest of the team follows in after them, but the place is almost completely pitch-black.

Chase: We're not aiming to be subtle. Hey! Fuckhead!

**Heeheeeheeeheee…**

The team spins around in the dark. The hole they just made in the wall closes up. Chase immediately begins to search for something to light the area with.

**Heheheh…**

Claire: Uh… guys?

**Ahaahahahaa…**

Kayla: Stick together. It'll just be safer… I hope.

**AAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAH!**

Tristan: Come out! Come on! Come the fuck on!

**KHAAHAAHHAHAHAHAA!**

Chase finally finds a lever to pull, but it's not to get the fluorescent lightbulbs to turn on again, it sets a bunch of torches on fire and then…

Dani: Well… isn't that great?

Five fifteen-foot versions of Mad Jack surround them, followed by about ten normal-sized versions, accompanied by The Little Devils.

Trevor: Well… that's not great.

~X~

Ariel watches as her friends get into a battle with the Mad Jack androids on a monitor above her.

Ariel: You're a damn monster…

Mad Jack: I'm your lover, my little Ariel. Forever and ever.

Ariel: Shut up! Shut up!

Mad Jack: Heheheheh! I love how you act like you're resisting.

Ariel bares her teeth as Mad Jack gets back to his console, working to take out The Knights. However… he is exactly in the same place that this chair was when she dragged in here.

Ariel: Hynh…

Ariel begins to glow green slightly and then shoots forward, spinning around and slamming into Mad Jack. He flips over the chair, landing on his back.

Ariel: Um…

Ariel looks back at her wrists and tries to see if her power works on those, but it doesn't really, so she just begins to struggle to get out of her bonds.

Mad Jack: Daddy always said… a woman's gotta learn her place…

Mad Jack stands up and marches over to her. He pulls back his hand as if to slap her, but, she jumps up onto her feet and spins her chair around, breaking it over his body.

Mad Jack: Gaah!

Ariel slips out of the now loose ropes, getting into the stance that Deadpool taught her. Mad Jack gets back up.

Mad Jack: You're testing my patience, love-

Another punch to the helmet.

Ariel: Seriously. Shut the fuck up!

~X~

Chase: Well then.

Chase grabs a tire iron on the ground and hefts it.

Chase: We're standing right here.

The androids spring to life and begin to corner small portions of the team.

Tristan and Claire are put in a corner where they have to deal with two of the giant Mad Jacks.

Tristan: Well…

Claire: Go!

Claire leaps onto one of the Mad Jacks and Tristan dashes into the air, taking on the second one.

Claire: Hnh!

Claire crawls all around the giant android as he begins to try and swat at her, but she's able to use her powerful legs and acrobatics to dodge each and every one of the attacks.

Claire: Hynh!

Claire takes a giant leap and dropkicks the giant Mad Jack's helmet hard, causing it to cave in.

Claire: I think I…

And right them, the robot grabs her and holds her in one hand, trying to squeeze the life out of her.

During Claire's fight, Chase and Kayla are also fighting, but with normal-sized Mad Jacks.

Chase: Gah!

Chase swings his tire iron and takes one of them out, while Kayla dodging and weaving through the android's attacks, coming at them with fast and hard punches.

Chase: Jeez, girl. Where'd you learn to box?

Kayla sends a right cross straight into the head of one Mad Jack.

Kayla: Hrnh! Asgard!

Chase: …Wait, seriously?

Kayla sends small hooks to the Mad Jack's stomach, following it up with a duck under a swipe of his, hooking the Mad Jack down to the ground.

Chase: Send one my way!

As one Mad Jack tries to put his hands on her, she sidesteps and swings the Mad Jack around, Chase swinging his tire iron straight into its body, creating a large whole in its circuitry.

Chase: Nice!

Meanwhile, Tristan is dodging away from the relentless onslaught that the third giant Mad Jack must have been programmed with. The last one is being taken care of by Claire.

Tristan: Hnh!

Tristan side-flips out of the way of a hammer-like punch, back flipping back onto the fist as it is raised back up.

Giant Mad Jack: HAAAHAHAH!

The giant Mad Jack tries to throw Tristan off, but he just leaps back, charges up an attack, and speeds forward through The Mad Jack, slicing its head clean off.

Tristan: Heh.

Tristan is about to land on the ground, but the headless Mad Jack swings at him, knocking him straight out of the warehouse and into The Hudson River.

As Claire finishes off the last Mad Jack, she sees Tristan getting blown through the warehouse and the other giant Mad Jacks coming back to life.

Claire: Oh crap!

Tristan begins to sink, but as he does, he feels something inside. The water plus the moon… it began to refuel him. Power him.

Tristan: Ghllrugghbb…

Tristan bursts out of the water and flies straight through two giant Mad Jacks, destroying their circuitry and causing them to explode behind him as he lands in a slide on the ground.

~X~

Ariel: Hyyy-ah!

Ariel throws a kick into Mad Jack's stomach, but he quickly retaliates with a backhand, knocking her back.

Mad Jack: Heheh! You'll learn to love me again, my little Ariel…

Mad Jack starts throwing punches, but Ariel has learned to dodge and block them.

Mad Jack: It's only a matter of time… heeehee!

Mad Jack then rears back a punch and lets it fly, but Ariel ducks under it, the fist making a dent in the wall. But Ariel quickly restores the wall, trapping Mad Jack's fist in there.

Mad Jack: Agh! How…?

Mad Jack tries to rip his hand free, but as he does, Ariel riddles his body with punches and kicks.

Ariel: Hy-

Mad Jack pulls out his fist, elbowing Ariel in the forehead. Before she can fall back, however, Ariel is grabbed and slammed into the wall.

Mad Jack: See… now, now I have to hurt you my sweet… just so you know who owns you… heehee… this will be fun! Haahaaaa!

Mad Jack takes one of his fingers and rips it down her cheek, causing a small cut to open. But as that happens, Ariel reaches a hand out and restores the chair.

Mad Jack: Huh?

Mad Jack looks back for a split second and Ariel shoves him into the chair with her feet. He's about to get up, but Ariel scoops up the rope, slides behind him, throws it at the chair, and restores it, tying him to the chair.

Mad Jack: Why… why do you keep resisting!?

Mad Jack is about to break free, but before he does, Ariel grabs one of his pumpkin bombs from his results.

Ariel: Never been into the whole dom-sub thing.

Ariel activates the pumpkin bomb and punches through his cracked helmet, leaving the bomb inside. She whips her hand out and restores the helmet.

Mad Jack: Oh n-

The bomb explodes, causing Ariel to fly back and smash right through the door, landing on the walkway above the current fight. The androids and little devils all simultaneously deactivate upon the defeat of Mad Jack.

Claire: Why did… oh my god. Ariel!

The whole team runs up to Ariel and Hunter lifts her to her feet.

Hunter: Are you all right?

Ariel: Uhuh… sorry about this, guys.

Chase: Don't say sorry.

The team looks inside to see Mad Jack's body lying there.

Hunter: Is he dead?

Ariel: No… I don't think so. But he's not coming back after that…

Deadpool: Oh I'm so proud of my pupils! Chimichangas on me!

The team leaves just as sirens begin to blare, the warehouse lying still.

**To Be Continued…**


	23. Chapter 23: A Monster That Controls All

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 23.**

_In The Alchemax Observatory Room…_

Mayday's eyes flicker open as the cold feeling of metal hits her back. She pushes herself back up to a sitting position and surveys the room. Next to her, Normie lies unconscious.

?: Why good, you're awake.

Mayday looks to the source of the voice to find a shadowed man in the corner.

Shadowed Man: So… how did my suit's little… test, go? I hope it went well.

Mayday: Your suit…?

Shadowed Man: Oh yes. Who do you think paid for the suit's new little tech upgrades? It didn't become The Techno-Symbiote by itself, Ms. Parker.

Mayday: You know my name?

Shadowed Man: Know your name? Of course I do. I've known you ever since you were a baby.

Mayday: As a baby…

Shadowed Man: Mmhm… oh yes.

Mayday: Wh-who are you?

Shadowed Man: Mmm… someone the world thought dead long, long ago.

The Shadowed Man walks out of the shadows. Both of his legs from the knee down are prosthetic and he uses a cane to walk.

Mayday: I… I know you. You're-

Shadowed Man: Norman Osborn… Yes, many people did. Your father knew me particularly well.

Norman Osborn, now a somewhat elderly man, bitterly looks upon his arch-nemesis' rival.

Norman: Hmhm. It's good to see you once more.

Mayday: You did this…? You caused all this? You made the suit?

Norman: Of course, Ms. Parker. Who do you think has the resources to do so? A symbiote embedded with technology allowing the wearer to control nearly any machine on the planet? Only I can pour this much money into something like this. I am not what I used to be and your father still needs me to pay him back for my death.

Mayday: You died?

Norman: Oh. Did your father never tell you the story? Yes… his career as Spider-Man became sporadic after this, I found. We had a final confrontation, a big one at that. We knew it could only end one way and it did… with one of our deaths. I injured him badly and he killed me. It was quite tragic, you see. A fitting final battle for superhumans past their prime.

Norman walks over to a machine and begins to prepare himself.

Mayday: My Dad would never kill…

Norman: Is that what he told you? Heh.

Norman places his hands inside the machine.

Norman: Maybe it wasn't on purpose. But I lost years of my life because of him. And now…

Norman cringes in pain.

Norman: I'm taking the rest of his years away, and the will to live through them. And there is a way to start going about that… and that would be dropping your corpse at his front doorstep after I'm done with this…

The symbiote begins to crawl all over Norman Osborn. He accepts it gladly and he begins to grow into a massive version of Venom, plates forming on his wrists and spine, his hands now massive claws.

Norman: Now…

His voice is modified because of the symbiote, sounding younger and more virile.

Norman: Let's kill you.

Norman lands a hard punch into Mayday's body, sending her flying out of the observatory room and out of the Alchemax building, about fifty stories into the air.

Mayday: AAHH!

Mayday, now with no webshooters and tattered clothes, falls down several stories before grabbing onto an electronic billboard, sliding down it until she's able to grab onto the very edge.

Norman: Everything's just a bit out of reach, isn't it, Spider-Girl?

Mayday: Oh God… how did you…?

Mayday looks up to see a giant version of Venomized Norman Osborn climbing through the billboard.

Norman: Please, Ms. Parker. You should know better than anyone there are no more secrets. Everything is so linked and connected. And with this suit, there isn't anywhere I can't go or anything I can't control.

Mayday furrows her brow and says under her breath…

Mayday: Yes… yes there is.

Norman: Remind me again why your father gave this up?

Mayday: It's too much power for anyone…

Norman's large holographic form points a claw at Mayday, shooting an electric bolt at her, knocking her to the street below.

Norman: I don't know. I think I got it.

Mayday lands on a taxi, rolling off onto the street.

Taxi Driver: Hey! What the hell?!

Mayday: Which way's North?

Taxi Driver: I don't know. What am I, a map?

Mayday: Well did you just pass 56th street?

Taxi Driver: I'unno, man.

Mayday: Dammit! I used to know all this…

Norman lands behind her with a thundering shockwave.

Norman: Lost? It's too bad. This thing's got one hell of a GPS. Not to mention it can do this…

Norman lifts both hands up and every car on the street begins to lift with his hands.

Norman: Heh.

Norman throws both hands outwards, slamming all the cars into the buildings next to them, explosions riddling the area.

Norman: All vehicles plugged into a central hub, me. I can't believe how easy this is…

Norman reaches out to grab Mayday and grabs her with several tentacles, slamming her into the burning street.

Norman: Just thinking and I'm now a system that controls absolutely everything. The world is so automatic now, no one even has to think about anything anymore.

Norman then kicks Mayday into the air.

Norman: So why don't I just think for them?

Mayday skids across the street and then lands right next to a streetsign.

Mayday: Ah… 56th Street… north…

Mayday then begins to use her enhanced strength to sprint at an incredible speed down the street. She passes by several billboards and signs that all change to Norman's Venom face.

Norman: Where do you think you're going? This whole city is basically a giant camera…

And then a car begins to speed up behind her, but she's able to jump out of the way before it smashes into her.

Mayday: Gah…

Mayday climbs up onto a building, running across the rooftops as two helicopters begin their search for her.

Norman: Have you ever thought about this one? About how the monster isn't in your closet or under your bed…?

Mayday tries to outrun a helicopter speeding toward her.

Norman: That the monster is inside your phone? Your computer? The games you play? Heheheh…

The helicopter smashes into the rooftop just as May leaps off, a giant explosion propelling her through the air and into The Hudson River.

Mayday: Guh!

Mayday gets to the surface and begins to swim her way out of the river and runs into the forests ahead, grabbing branches and sticks from the ground as she does.

Mayday: Come on… come on!

Mayday sits down near a cliff side overlooking the sea as she throws the sticks into a pile. She then grabs the largest stick she had, a branch from a tree, and begins to spin it around in her hands.

Mayday: _Faster…_

She spins the stick faster…

Mayday: _Come on, May… faster!_

Mayday spins the stick as fast as she possibly can.

Mayday: _Faster, dammit!_

Mayday spins the stick so fast that it begins to draw blood from her hands, but she does get a fire going that lights her branch on fire, turning it into a makeshift torch.

And as she finishes, she looks up to see Norman approaching slowly through the forest.

Norman: Hm… appropriate.

Norman and Mayday face off, her waving a torch around to keep him at bay.

Norman: ROAARGH!

Mayday: YAAAAAGH!

The two charge at one another and Mayday leaps up. Norman tries to swipe her away, but she stabs the torch into his chest, causing the symbiote to completely freak out. Norman stumbles back to the cliff side.

Norman: AAARGH!

Mayday sees the symbiote begin to fall apart and she grabs Norman Osborn with her free hand.

Norman: No! You… you can't!

But before she can rip him out, he shoves her away, causing her to fall onto the grass. But as she looks up, Norman is falling back off the cliff.

Norman: NNOOOOOO!

Mayday scrambles to the edge of the cliff, but Norman Osborn has already fallen into the rocks and sea below.

Mayday: Damn…

Mayday falls back onto the grass, taking several breaths, thinking about life in general.

Mayday: _The last few months have not been easy… I became a superhero… I lost someone very important to me… who got power he didn't earn…_

Mayday lets out a deep breath.

Mayday: _Why do they never see it coming? It always ends the same way. He gets lost inside the power. And hell, I think I'm above it all. And because of that, I lose sight of what's important. And I break everything…_

Mayday rubs her face with the non-bloody part of her hands, sitting up.

Mayday: _But nothing is unfixable… it just won't be easy. You taught me that, Dad…_

Mayday looks up at the stars that are disappearing in wake of morning.

Mayday: _And I swear to you, I'll never forget it again…_

**To Be Continued…**


	24. Chapter 24: Two New Recruits

**The Knights.  
****Volume 2.  
****Chapter 24.**

_One Week Later…_

Betty: In wake of one of the more eventful nights ever since The Undead Invasion of New York, the citizens of this fine city have recovered from the attacks by the creature known as Venom and the psychopath who has dubbed himself, Mad Jack.

Footage of Norman Osborn destroying the cars is shown.

Betty: Facing an unknown vigilante, the monster went into the forest and is now reported missing. And Mad Jack also went down by another group of vigilantes. Are they connected? Is this a new team of vigilantes aiming to serve and protect New York like this city once had in droves?

Footage of Mad Jack being taken into custody is shown as well.

Betty: After being investigated if it is safe enough, Jacobson High has cleared all searches and will continue on with its schedule as planned starting November 1st. In the month until school starts, school residents will be assigned work to do in their dorms until classes resume. A prolonged vacation, per say.

The camera cuts back to the newscaster, Betty Grant.

Betty: Well, in time, we will find out. Stay tuned, New York, because coming up next, more of the reported k-

Trevor turns off his television, smiling happily.

~X~

Meeting on the roof of the school, the whole team of The Knights plus Tristan and Kayla are gathered around.

Mayday: So… what happened to Deadpool?

Chase: Deadpool? He said he'd return when all of the girls are legal.

The girls of the group shudder.

Chase: Can't wait for that shit. Gonna be hilarious.

Mayday: Anyway, we have something to discuss.

Mayday turns to Tristan and Kayla.

Mayday: We know that you two are metahumans, mutant or otherwise, that stay here at Jacobson High. That's kind of the criteria slash requirement of being in this team…

Chase: So we'd like to know… would you join us?

Tristan and Kayla stay silent for a moment.

Kayla: I…

Tristan: I know I do.

Mayday: Really?

Tristan: Yeah. When I got my powers… someone or something told me I'd go on to do great things with a team of Knights. So I think it's kinda… destined, I guess.

Hunter: By chance, did this someone or something have a huge eye and a lot of tentacles?

Tristan: What? No.

Hunter: Oh. Well good.

Tristan: Yeah. I'd like to join.

Kayla: I think… I think I would as well.

Kayla shrugs.

Kayla: It's taken me some time to think about it, cause I kinda knew you'd ask, but… yeah. I swore not to use my powers again because the last time I did, I seriously hurt someone, but if it's for a good cause like this…? I think I'll be okay.

Chase: First thing then, superhero names. Go.

Tristan: I know mine. Excalibur.

Chase: Cool name. Why?

Tristan: I think that's… I think that is what my armor is.

Kayla: Well, if we're naming ourselves after weapons, I'll name myself after my father's.

Chase: What's the name?

Kayla: Mjolnir.

Chase: Right, Mjol-Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait… what?

Kayla: I didn't know if I should tell you guys… but since now I know all of your secret identities, I thought I'd tell you mine. Yeah. I'm Thor's daughter.

The group is slack jawed.

Mayday: Well… no wonder you're bigger than any of the girls.

Kayla: I'm only like 5'9"!

Mayday: Didn't mean height-wise.

The group laughs. Kayla pouts and crosses her arms. Hunter pats her shoulder.

Hunter: Hey, it's all good.

Kayla: Heh. Thanks.

As you can imagine, death stares from Dani.

Mayday: Well… we basically have a month off.

Tristan: Excited for it?

Chase: Hell yeah! And you guys all should be, because we're gonna superhero super hard.

Mayday: Uh yeah. What he said.

Chase stands up.

Chase: But not tonight. Tonight, I have a date.

Ariel: Haha! …wait really? Jesus, who's the cow?

Chase: With Christie Mack and my right hand.

Claire: …Ew. Go away.

Chase: I'm the gross one, but you know who Christie Mack is.

Claire: What!? No! I-

Chase: Yeah. Sure. See ya guys.

Claire: Dammit Chase Steele!

Chase walks off from the group, a smirk on his face.

~X~

_In an Unknown Base..._

A man watches the finish of the New York newscast. He is surrounded by five other people who are silent along with him. The man stands up, turning to his group.

Man: Hm… they could prove troublesome. Keep an eye on them.

They all walk off in different directions.

~X~

_On The Helicarrier..._

Matt King is walking through the flying base, opening up the door to Nick Fury's office.

Matt: You wanted to see me, Sir?

Nick turns around in his leather chair.

Nick Fury: Agent King? Do you remember the strange radio readings you found last month?

Matt: I do.

Nick Fury hands him a data pad.

Nick Fury: Well, I think we've located where it's coming from. And it may be a problem.

**To Be Continued in Volume 3…**


	25. Volume 3: Chapter 25: Radio Readings

**The Knights.  
****Volume 3.  
****Chapter 25.**

_Three Days Later…_

Trevor is trying out video games and finding that he's quite enjoying them, especially fighting games.

Trevor: Hyn!

Trevor is able to execute a Metsu-Shoryuken with Ryu, taking out Seth in arcade mode. As he watches his ending, he gets a call on the cellphone he was given. He picks it up quickly.

Trevor: Hello?

Matthew King, on the other side of the line, is in a cargo plane wearing his full field outfit, the plane weaving its way through explosions coming from an unknown source.

Matt: Trevor? Trevor, damn it, you need to warn your friends…

Matt is cut off from something as the line drops for a moment.

Trevor: Mr. King?

Matt: Do you understand me? It's coming for C-kzzzhsshzzzhhh! It-

And then the line is cut off.

Trevor: Mr. King…? Mr. King!

Trevor looks at his phone and sets it down slowly.

Trevor: What is coming?

~X~

On the other side of the line, Matt King tries to get the communication line up and running, but fails to do so.

Matt: Damn it!

Matt jumps to his feet and heads to the cockpit of the cargo plane.

Matt: Look, we need a-

Suddenly, an explosion takes out most of the cockpit, including the pilots. The plane begins to slowly turn into a nosedive.

Matt: Shit!

Matt runs to the side of the plane and is able to push off the emergency door, revealing two other planes beside his, the plane he's on being on the far left of the trio.

Matt: I can't believe this…

Matt leaps from the plane, as it turns completely sideways, smashing into a nearby mountaintop. He then lands on the wing of the next plane, catching onto the edge of it just before he rolls off.

Matt: Rgh… dammit!

Matt pulls himself on and crawls to the edge of the plane, grabbing the door on it and using the emergency handle to rip it off, jumping inside to see several other SHIELD Agents accompanying US Marines.

Matt: We need to get the hell off of this plane! All of us! Now, now, n-

**BUH-DOOOOM!**

Something flies through the middle of the plane, completely tearing it in half. Matt tries to grab onto a seat to keep himself from falling out, but it's futile, as he is blown out of the remaining half of the ship in the air, tumbling outside along with several other colleagues.

Matt: Shit!

Matt pulls his parachute and it takes a second for him to align correctly. He glides quickly down to a snowy mountain summit, but before he can land, a laser shoots through the parachute, causing the agent to fall down hard onto the mountain.

Matt: Aghhh!

Matt rolls over the mountain side, catching himself on the very edge of the summit, a tremendous drop below him.

Matt: Guh… I… agh…

Matt gets both hands on the edge and is going to pull himself up, but something lands hard on the summit, a shockwave nearly causing him to fall. He stays quiet, hoping it does not find him.

?: Mlchzom Hotlh.

The being on the summit's eyes flare bright yellow as it looks around, trying to find a signs of human warmth. However, because Matt is now nearly covered head to toe in show and had been extremely cold prior, it does not notice him hanging on the Cliffside.

?: En pagh yin chenmok zhiltu. Nez Rider puyjalq puqlosh teh.

The unknown being then leaps off of the summit, using what seems to be rocket jets to burst into the sky to a destination. Matt King pulls himself onto the summit, breathing heavily.

Matt: What the hell… was that thing?

~X~

_Four Days Later…_

Very early in the morning, so early that the sun hasn't come up yet, a criminal, holding a woman's purse, is sprinting through the streets of New York City, trying to get away from someone as fast as he can.

Criminal: Jesus… Jesus Christ! Leave me alone!

Someone runs from rooftop to rooftop overhead.

Criminal: I… oh shit!

And that very someone leaps off of the rooftop in a dive down onto the criminal, knocking him down. That person stands up, looking at his wrist, which is facing the wrong way. With a grunt, he twists it back around.

Criminal: Oh… oh god… you got one of those hea-healing f… oh god…

Person: No… but I can take one hell of a lickin' and keep on tickin', that's for sure.

The person kneels down next to the man illuminated by the streetlight. And that person is revealed to be Chase Steele in costume. The criminal sits up, not wanting to make any sudden movements.

Chase: Now… that purse? Hand it over.

Criminal: Not a chance… I'll fuckin' take you on. I swear to God, I'll cut you.

The criminal begins to look for the best way to run off, but Chase grabs his wrist, twisting it into the same direction his was not too long ago.

Criminal: GAAHH!

Chase: Okay, if you can turn your wrist back around like I did and not shed a single tear, or cry out once more, I'll believe you can take me on and I'll let you go out of fear.

The criminal does try to attempt to do that, but as he touches it, he clenches his eyes, tears being squeezed out.

Chase: Right, then.

Chase stands up, grabbing the woman's purse and the knife in the criminal's jacket as he does so.

Chase: Still The King.

Chase stomps on the outlaw's face, knocking him out.

?: Actually, there's only one King around here.

Chase turns around to the shadows and a man walks out. He is also wearing shades, but they are sleeker than Chase's aviators. He's also wearing a white-button up shirt and slacks. And it isn't just any man, it's Special Agent Matt King.

Matt: And that, my friend, is me.

Chase: Hm.

Chase and Matt stare off for a moment.

Chase: Mind if I grab a smoke?

Matt: Go ahead.

Chase: You want one?

Matt: Don't smoke.

Chase: Didn't think you did.

Chase pulls off his bandana, putting it in his jacket pocket before pulling out a cigarette, lighting it in his mouth.

Chase: So…

Chase blows out some smoke.

Chase: I take it you're either a government agent here to take me away or a nutjob villain trying to get into my head. Which one is it?

Matt: Neither.

Chase: Hm. Then what are you?

Matt: Special Agent Matt King. I'm here to speak with a man named Chase Steele.

Chase blows out smoke again, taking the cigarette from his mouth for a moment.

Chase: You're lookin' at him.

Matt: Thought I was. The description was similar.

Chase: Yeah. Not many people have my look, apparently.

Matt: Not many. But to get to the point, I'm here to ask you a few questions.

Chase: Is that so…?

Matt: I've contacted you specifically at first to see if you might know anything that you or your team might know about the situation I find myself in. I attempted to make contact with Mayday Parker as well, but she hasn't left the school and I am not authorized to enter without a permit, and that's too high profile. My resources indicate that one of you is the son of a man named Richard Rider.

Chase stays silent for a moment, taking a long look at the agent.

Matt: Would you happen to know who that is?

Chase: I might. Depends on who's asking. And why.

Matt: I already told you, I'm Special Agent-

Chase: Special Agent of what?

Matt: Classified.

Chase: Seems my lips are sealed too, I'm afraid.

Matt and Chase stare each other down for another few moments.

Matt: You're his son, aren't you?

Chase: What gave me away?

Matt: You act like him.

Chase: Ouch. That stung.

Matt: I take it you don't have a good relationship with him?

Chase: Try no relationship. Bastard ran out on my Mom and I before I could even say the words 'Don't go'. Mom ran out on me after.

Matt: It seems that's why I don't have anything on your biological parents, only your adopted-

Chase: Yeah. Eleanor Steele. A good woman and mother.

Matt: In a relationship with a corrupt cop.

Chase: Figured. Always seemed to have more money than he should, anyway.

Matt: So, you don't know where he is?

Chase: Why?

Matt: …Something's looking for him.

Chase: Something's looking for him? What is?

Matt: That… I'm not so sure about. It's big. And it's not from this world.

Chase: In other words… an alien.

Matt: Maybe.

Chase: Why the hell would an alien be looking for some deadbeat drunk who ran out on his wife and kid?

Matt: You don't know who your father is, do you?

Chase: Seems like he's much more important than I thought.

Matt: It seems that I'm done here, then.

Chase: What? Wait, who was he?

Matt: Good day, Mr. Rider.

Chase: Hey!

As Agent King is turning around, Chase grabs his shoulder.

Matt: I'd advise you to get your hand off me right now.

Chase: And I'd advise you to answer my questions. Before I get mad.

Chase and Matt stand about five feet away from each other. They both know what is about to happen.

Chase throws the first punch, but Matt easily counters it by bringing him to the floor in an armbar-like grapple, keeping him grounded.

Chase: Agh!

Matt: Kid, I've been doing this a lot longer than you. Now, let's just get one thing straight. I don't owe you any information on anything, the fact that I even approached you about this should be a compliment to you and yours, however, I see you have a bit of drive. I appreciate that. Reminds me of myself. So, I'll allow you one thing.

Matt stands up and Chase follows suit.

Matt: You can accompany me to my next destination.

Chase: Now where is that?

Matt: I'm meeting up with someone who could prove… troublesome, in the very least. He might know something about what we're up against. But he could also be a problem. And if he is, you can help me take him out. If not, you look intimidating enough in that costume, maybe he'll know to not mess with us. If everything goes well and you don't cause trouble, I'll tell you who your Dad was.

Chase: Hm. Deal.

Matt: Good. Now follow me.

The two walk off down the street.

**To Be Continued…**


	26. Chapter 26: Soon-To-Be-Doctor-Klein

**The Knights.  
****Volume 3.  
****Chapter 26.**

Chase and Matt walk to a small run-down apartment building near Jacobson High and Empire State University.

Chase: …Are you sure this is where we needed to go?

Matt: Positive. Come on.

The two walk through a mostly-empty parking lot and stand in front of apartment 2C.

Chase: So what are we going up-

Matt: Just follow my lead.

Matt knocks on the door and immediately it opens, but it just opens to a normal, but kind of messy apartment.

Matt: Huh…

Chase: Kind of expected something else, hm?

Matt: Sort of, yes.

?: They all say that when they see me.

Matt and Chase spin around in the apartment to see a guy sitting at his desk with something on it. He turns his chair around and smiles, his teeth glinting. The man is tall and lean, pale, and has brown medium-length hair, with a bit of a wispy goatee. He has goggles on that are slightly faded, so you cannot see his eyes, and he is wearing a labcoat, a Skullgirls t-shirt, and socks with sandals.

Man: And they all say that when they leave the next morning.

Chase: Hah! That was pretty good.

Matt pinches the bridge of his nose.

Matt: Alright, Blake Klein, let's-

Blake: Soon-To-Be-Doctor Klein to you, pleb.

Chase: I like this guy.

Blake: Now, what do you want? I'm busy dissecting an alien.

Matt: We came t-wait, what?

Chase: Ooohhh shit, son.

Matt runs up to Blake and finds a large limb of some sort lying there.

Matt: You weren't lying when you… oh my god.

Blake: Why would I lie? I don't lie. You lie.

Matt: I don't lie.

Blake: Heh! Sure. You just sit there and keep thinking your hands are clean, Agent King.

Blake sets down his scalpel.

Blake: So you want information on what this thing is?

Matt: Yeah. Yeah I do.

Blake: Well, Agent King, it's of extraterrestrial origin.

Matt: …And?

Blake: …That's about it, yep.

Matt and Chase stare at Blake for a while.

Matt: I… I came from the Helicarrier just to-

Blake: Well, there's also this symbol. But it's fucking garbage. Arial Black is the worst font.

Blake tosses a plate that was on the arm at Matt, who wipes off some dirty to see a symbol of an eye with a triangle around it. Some writing on either side of the triangle is, admittedly, similar to Arial Black in its font-style.

Blake: That mean anything to you?

Matt: Not to me. But maybe our database.

Blake: Well. Then kindly, I'd ask you to get out of my apartment, so I can finish my Omegatron 2500.

Chase: What is that, may I ask?

Blake: An alien identifier. Made out of a refridgerator and two bananas.

Chase: …How old are you?

Blake: Eighteen.

Chase: Wanna join our group?

Matt: Chase, I'd advise against-

Blake: Is your group The Secret Organization?

Chase: Nah, it's called The Knights.

Blake: Hrm. Then I will think on it.

Matt: Are you serious? No, Blake, you need to come with me.

Blake: …Why?

Matt: I… cause… you… You have part of an alien in your possession! You need to get scrubbed for any viruses or-

Blake: Nah. That shit's for plebs. Like you.

Chase: He's right, ya know.

Matt: Oh my god. Still, come with me, you could prove useful if-

Blake: Have you noticed…

Matt: Just interrupt me, then.

Blake: That this arm… looks similar… to that arm.

Blake points to his TV and the other two turn to look at it. There is a news report about a group of teenagers fighting against a large red and black android of some sort.

Matt: …Holy shit! That's it! That was what was in the Himalayas…

Chase: And those are my teammates.

Blake: Would those be whom I would be working with?

Chase: Yeah.

Blake: Hm… is he a Japanese tentacle monster?

Chase: No. An American tentacle monster.

Blake: Not nearly as interesting, but he'll make do.

Blake stands up.

Blake: Well, I assume we're going to go fight it.

Matt: Yeah. You're right.

Matt King puts on his sunglasses.

Matt: Let's go catch ourselves an alien.

Chase: Hah! Gaaayyyy!

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
